Traditionally, Belgium is known for its exports of high-quality chocolates and indeed chocolate does appear among the top 20 export products.
The following list shows which Belgian exports generated the most sales during 2017. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level.
This level of granularity can help entrepreneurs identify precisely which products in which Belgium has strong competitive advantages over other nations, and highlight opportunities for innovation.
For the most recent details, please see the paragraph at the bottom of the “Top 10” tab section in Belgium’s Top 10 Exports article. For a link to that article, see the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value Belgian Export Products
Below are the 20 highest value export products shipped from Belgium in 2016. Shown within brackets for each item is the increase in value from 2016 to 2017.
- Cars: US$32.9 billion (up 8.5% since 2016)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $26.3 billion (down -0.5%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $25.7 billion (up 28.2%)
- Diamonds (unmounted/unset): $15.2 billion (down -4.4%)
- Blood fractions (including antisera): $14.1 billion (up 7.2%)
- Heterocyclics, nucleic acids: $7.6 billion (down -12%)
- Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays): $7.1 billion (up 9.4%)
- Petroleum gases: $6.5 billion (up 42.9%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $6.2 billion (up 14.8%)
- Ethylene polymers: $5.9 billion (up 5.8%)
- Trucks: $4.9 billion (up 28.4%)
- Propylene/olefin polymers: $4.2 billion (up 12.1%)
- Orthopedic appliances: $4 billion (up 1.4%)
- Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products (plated/coated): $3.6 billion (up 30.2%)
- Flat-rolled stainless steel items: $3.6 billion (up 26.3%)
- Footwear (textile): $3.3 billion (up 14.1%)
- Chocolate, other cocoa preparations: $3 billion (up 4.7%)
- Hot-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products: $2.9 billion (up 36.3%)
- Amino-compounds (oxygen): $2.8 billion (down -16%)
- Polyacetal/ether/carbonates: $2.5 billion (up 4.5%)
Among these product categories, exported petroleum gases posted a 42.9% gain from 2016 to 2017. In second-place were hot-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products via a 36.3% uptick.
Plated or coated flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products also moved ahead in value, up 30.2% year over year.
Belgium’s exported trucks appreciated by 28.4% over the same period.
Leading the decliners was oxygen amino-compounds via a -16% drop.
See also Belgium’s Top 10 Imports, Belgium’s Top Trading Partners, Belgium’s Top 10 Exports and Top EU Export Countries
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on March 23, 2018
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on March 23, 2018
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on March 23, 2018