In Q1 2018, Dutch companies imported business services worth 16 billion euros, which is 54 percent more than in Q1 2014. The increase was mainly seen in imports of marketing and mediation services from within Europe. These include for example advertising, market research, consultancy and sales agent services. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of new figures on international trade in services.
The largest and fastest-growing type of service imports are business service imports. In Q1 of this year, business services occupied a share of 36 percent in service imports, up from 30.5 percent in Q1 2014.
Over 62 percent of all business service imports in 2018 consist of marketing and mediation services. These also account for the lion’s share of the growth as seen since 2014 (80 percent).
Service imports mainly from within Europe
Business service imports from within Europe showed the highest absolute growth, from nearly 7 billion euros in Q1 2014 to around 10.5 billion euros in the same period this year. Imports from Asia doubled over this period, but involved much smaller amounts. Asia has overtaken North America as the continent which supplies most services after Europe.
