International trade is the cross-border exchange of goods, services and knowledge – and the deep economic interdependence that results from it. Global value chains connect production stages, expertise and markets across countries into one integrated system.
One in five jobs in Belgium exists thanks to international trade, and we rank among the most open economies in the world. This page explains what international trade means in practical terms for our economy, who our most important trading partners are and why exports are so crucial to employment and prosperity in our country.
What is international trade today?
For decades, international trade was portrayed as a relatively straightforward process: a producer in one country sells a finished product to a buyer in another. That picture has long ceased to reflect reality.
Goods are rarely manufactured in a single country any more. Raw materials are extracted in one location, processed in another and assembled in a third. A machine rolling off the production line in Belgium contains components from dozens of countries. A pharmaceutical product combines raw materials from Asia with European expertise and is distributed globally. Each step in that process can be – and is – located wherever it makes the most sense: based on specialised expertise, cost efficiency, access to talent or proximity to end customers.
Yet services are an integral part of international trade – and an increasingly vital one. A Brussels law firm advising Japanese clients, a Ghent software company managing platforms for businesses in Germany and Brazil, a Belgian engineering firm overseeing infrastructure projects across Africa: all these activities are counted in foreign trade figures.
This interconnectedness creates opportunities, but it also generates vulnerability. Organisations overly dependent on a single region, supplier or market face risks far beyond their control. Geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions and supply chain disruptions are making international trade more complex and strategically significant than ever. Diversification – across both markets and business activities – is therefore not a luxury but a fundamental requirement for any enterprise with global ambitions.
Why Belgium cannot do without international trade
The limits of a market of 12 million inhabitants
Belgian companies rarely produce alone
Foreign markets keep our companies sharp
Diversification protects against shocks
In a country like Belgium, with a limited domestic market and an economy fundamentally interwoven with the rest of the world, the question for any business and entrepreneur is not whether you cross the border, but when.
International trade in Belgium: facts and figures
For a country of barely 30,000 km² and limited natural resources, Belgium is charting a remarkable course in international trade. The figures confirm this:
- Top 3 most open economies in the world
Belgium ranks among the world’s three most open economies.
(KOF Globalisation Index) - 13th largest exporter of goods
Belgium is the world’s thirteenth-largest exporter of goods.(Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, 2024) - 15th largest importer of goods
Belgium is the world’s fifteenth-largest importer of goods.
(Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, 2024) - 1 in 5 Belgian jobs
One in five jobs in Belgium is linked to international trade.
(FEB Focus International Trade, June 2026) - 77% of our gdp
Belgian exports account for 77% of GDP, worth €503.67 billion.
(Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, 2025) - 1 in 10 Belgian sme’s
More than one in ten Belgian SMEs export directly, and an even larger group does so indirectly through global value chains.
(FEB Focus International Trade, November 2025) - 67%
Approximately two thirds of Belgian goods exports go to EU member states.
(FEB Focus International Trade, June 2026) - 2de grootste haven van Europa
The Port of Antwerp is Europe’s second-largest port and one of the world’s most important logistics hubs.
(World Ports)
Interested in more facts and figures (in French) about international trade in Belgium?
Foreign trade: Belgium’s main trading partners
Belgian foreign trade is heavily dominated by neighbouring countries. And this is no accident. Belgium is located in the geographic and economic heart of Europe, at the intersection of three of the continent’s largest economies. Germany, France and the Netherlands, moreover, have industrial structures that closely align with what Belgium produces and needs.
The European internal market further reinforces this interconnectedness. No customs formalities, shared regulations, a common currency and decades of economic integration make these markets an extension of the domestic market for many Belgian companies.
Belgian exports: our five largest markets:
Germany, the Netherlands and France together account for nearly 45% of total goods exports.
Belgian imports: our five largest suppliers:
Key sectors in Belgium’s international trade:
Six sectors accounted for more than three quarters of Belgian exports in 2024:
- Chemical products: 25,9%
- Mineral products: 12,0%
- Vehicles & transport equipment: 11,5%
- Machinery & electrical equipment: 10,3%
- Food & beverages: 7,9%
- Base metals: 7,6%
Chemical and pharmaceutical products are by far the largest export category. This is thanks in no small part to Belgium’s strong pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for well over half of our exports to the United States and 14% of our global exports.
The European internal market as a lever for Belgium’s international trade
The European internal market encompasses 450 million people and 26 million businesses from 30 countries. It enables goods, services, people and capital to circulate as freely as possible within one integrated economic space – with largely harmonised rules and without tariffs or quotas between members.
The internal market comprises the 27 EU member states, supplemented by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which together form the European Economic Area (EEA). It was officially established in 1993 and remains, more than thirty years later, one of the world’s most ambitious economic integration projects. Moreover, the internal market continues to evolve.
Within this space, harmonised rules and the principle of mutual recognition apply: a product that meets standards in one member state may in principle be sold in all other member states. This also applies to services, although integration there has not progressed as far as for goods.
For Belgian companies, the impact is very real: operationally, exporting to Germany or France differs little from supplying a Belgian customer. No customs formalities, largely the same product standards, lower transaction costs. The result is direct access to a market of hundreds of millions of consumers, with the economies of scale that come with it.
For Belgium, as an open economy at the heart of the EU, the impact of the internal market is particularly tangible and measurable. Approximately 65% of goods exports go to EU member states, and a further 11% to the United Kingdom and other European countries. Europe thus accounts for well over three quarters of Belgium’s total exports.
This deep integration with the European market explains why the internal market delivers substantial trade benefits to our country. Thanks to the EU, trade costs have been reduced. This leads to greater trade within the EU, resulting in Belgium’s GDP being 4.4% higher, according to figures from the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB).
The European Union negotiates as a single trading bloc with more than seventy partner countries and thus possesses the world’s largest network of trade agreements. With approximately 15.8% of global trade in goods and services, the EU wields negotiating power that no individual member state possesses on its own.
Free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries such as Canada (CETA) and Japan lower trade barriers and expand market access for European businesses. Agreements with Australia and Mercosur (already provisionally in effect) will also unlock new export markets. Belgian exporters benefit from such agreements through lower tariffs, reduced administrative barriers and improved access to growth markets, and even to public procurement opportunities outside Europe. These agreements also enable diversification of our imports, including critical raw materials needed for the energy and digital transitions.
The impact is also visible in the figures. Since CETA came into force, Belgian exports to Canada have risen by 55%, reaching over €4 billion in 2023. Trade agreements therefore translate not only into greater market access, but also into tangible export growth and a stronger international competitive position.
More than three decades after its launch, the internal market remains an unfinished project. Divergent national rules, complex administrative obligations and differing interpretations of European legislation mean that, in practice, the free movement of goods and services does not work equally smoothly everywhere. Businesses encounter additional compliance requirements, duplicate reporting and national barriers, resulting in unnecessary costs and limited economies of scale.
International trade trends with a major impact on Belgium
Global trade is in flux, driven by four forces that are fundamentally rewriting the rules.
Free trade and globalisation long formed the backbone of economic thinking. Today, that model is shifting. Geopolitical tensions, great-power rivalries and vulnerable supply chains are forcing governments and businesses to conduct a thorough risk analysis: where does the new reality leave us exposed?
Governments are once again protecting strategic sectors, investing in industrial capacity and taking more active control over economic autonomy. Trade barriers are increasing, supply chains are being organised more regionally and companies are diversifying production to limit risks. Protective measures are sometimes necessary to ensure a level playing field, for example in cases of unfair competition.
For an open economy like Belgium, the effects of this shift are particularly tangible. The US trade tariffs introduced in 2025 show how quickly geopolitical decisions translate into specific risks for internationally active businesses. Precisely for this reason, agility, strong international positioning and strategic resilience are becoming crucial levers for sustainable economic growth in Belgium.
International trade increasingly takes place online – and that dramatically lowers the export barrier for SMEs as well. Where businesses once had to invest in local partners, physical offices or expensive distribution networks, today a web shop, digital platform or online marketplace is often enough.
Belgium is performing remarkably well in this area. Belgian companies derive a larger share of their turnover from e-commerce than the European average, and small businesses sell online more frequently than in most neighbouring countries.
But digitalisation also brings a new dependency. A large share of international online trade flows through a few dominant platforms that determine who is visible, who reaches customers and on what terms. Those platforms are rarely Belgian or European. Digitalisation opens new markets, but simultaneously shifts economic power to a limited number of international players.
AI is evolving from a supporting tool to a guiding system in international chains. Demand forecasting, inventory management, contract analysis, risk assessment: more and more processes are being automated at every level of the supply chain.
This makes supply chains faster, cheaper and more agile, but at the same time also more complex and more dependent on data infrastructure and digital security. Companies that integrate AI into their logistics chains and procurement have a structural advantage in a sector where speed and precision increasingly make the difference.
New rules and mechanisms such as carbon border adjustments (for example, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or CBAM), ESG requirements and stricter supply chain transparency compel companies to demonstrably account for their environmental and social impact. Sustainability is therefore becoming far less optional, with a direct impact on costs, risks and market access.
For export-oriented economies like Belgium, this has major consequences. Companies face more reporting obligations and stricter compliance requirements. At the same time, a clear competitive advantage emerges for enterprises already investing in sustainable production, low carbon emissions and transparent value chains. They are better prepared for future regulations and more easily retain access to key export markets.
Where FEB makes a difference
Geopolitical fragmentation, increasing regulation and redrawn trade flows demand a strong voice. As Belgium’s leading employers’ federation, FEB represents some fifty sectoral federations and leverages that position to achieve tangible policy impact.
- Policy impact
FEB is Belgium’s only interprofessional employers’ organisation and represents more than 50,000 companies, accounting for approximately 75% of private employment. As a single voice, we bring the reality of Belgian businesses into the European debate, notably through the European employers’ confederation BusinessEurope. In this way, we help shape European regulation that has a direct impact on our enterprises. - Economic diplomacy
We play an active role in strengthening Belgium’s export network by bringing together businesses, government and international partners. We therefore help Belgian enterprises access new markets more quickly and effectively, through trade missions and structural cooperation at home and abroad. - Guided by expertise and knowledge-sharing
FEB translates complex international developments into actionable insights for entrepreneurs across a range of publications, including the white paper on International Entrepreneurship containing practical lessons, export support tips and checklists, the bi-annual Focus International Trade, and a toolkit to strengthen supply chain resilience, among other things.
FAQ: frequently asked questions about international trade in Belgium
Belgium is the world’s 13th-largest exporter of goods (WTO) and 15th-largest importer. Belgian exports represent 84% of GDP, worth €512 billion. According to the KOF Globalisation Index, the Belgian economy is also the world’s third most open.
The five largest export markets are Germany, France, the Netherlands, the US and the UK. Germany, the Netherlands and France together account for nearly 45% of total goods exports. On the import side, these same countries remain crucial partners.
One in five jobs in Belgium is linked to international trade. More than one in ten Belgian SMEs export directly to foreign markets. An even larger group does so indirectly through global value chains.
Four trends are reshaping international trade: rising protectionism and fragmentation of global markets, digitalisation making exports more accessible to SMEs, the rise of AI in supply chains and logistics, and the growing impact of sustainability requirements on market access and competitiveness.
As Belgium’s largest employers’ organisation, FEB represents more than 50,000 companies and defends their interests, including in European and international trade matters, notably through the European employers’ confederation BusinessEurope. Additionally, FEB strengthens Belgium’s export network through trade missions and structural cooperation with governments and international partners.
Import tariffs are taxes a country levies on goods imported from outside its borders. They make imported products more expensive, enabling local producers to compete more effectively. Within the EU, thanks to the unified European market, there are no tariffs between member states.
Free trade agreements reduce trade barriers such as tariffs, quotas and administrative requirements. This gives Belgian businesses easier access to foreign markets and enables them to export more competitively. For an open economy like Belgium, such agreements create additional growth opportunities, expand markets and strengthen international positioning.
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