The list of most valuable Belgian imports showcase both refined and crude oils as well as petroleum gases. Medicines, diamonds, mobile phones and leather shoes are other products are in demand by Belgian importers.
The following list shows on which product categories Belgian importers spent the most. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level.
This level of higher granularity can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which Belgium has strong demand and perhaps competitive disadvantages compared with other nations. Innovation satisfying that demand can transform these disadvantages into lucrative business opportunities.
For the most recent four-digit HTS code data, please see the link to Belgium’s Top 10 Imports article in the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value Belgian Import Products
Below are the 20 highest value import products delivered to Belgian importers in 2017. Shown within brackets is the change in value for each imported product since 2009.
- Cars: US$35.5 billion (Up 18.1% from 2013 to 2017)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $19.6 billion (Down -22.7%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $18.8 billion (Down -49.2%)
- Crude oil: $15.4 billion (Down -45.9%)
- Diamonds (unmounted/unset): $13.7 billion (Down -34.7%)
- Blood fractions (including antisera): $13.3 billion (Up 5.2%)
- Petroleum gases: $10.9 billion (Down -47.6%)
- Heterocyclics, nucleic acids: $8.1 billion (Up 2.9%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $7.7 billion (Down -27%)
- Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays): $5.6 billion (Down -6.8%)
- Trucks: $4.7 billion (Up 36%)
- Cyclic hydrocarbons: $3.7 billion (Down -26%)
- Ethylene polymers: $3.3 billion (Down -15%)
- Computers, optical readers: $3.2 billion (Down -15.8%)
- Acyclic hydrocarbons: $3.2 billion (Down -25.7%)
- Phone system devices including smartphones: $3 billion (Up 6.3%)
- Orthopedic appliances: $2.9 billion (Up 6.4%)
- Amino-compounds (oxygen): $2.8 billion (Down -3%)
- Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products (plated/coated): $2.1 billion (Up 50.4%)
- Iron or steel scrap: $2.1 billion (Down -18.9%)
Plated or coated flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products appreciated by 50.4% over the 5-year period.
In second place were imported trucks which rose in value by 36%.
Belgian imports of cars also showed a respectable uptick of 181%, followed by Belgium’s purchases of orthopedic appliance up 6.4%.
Leading the decliners was imports of refined petroleum oils (down -49.2%), petroleum gases (down -47.6%) and crude oil (down -45.9%).
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: Imports 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
