Exports of goods from the Flemish Region fell by 4.1% last year, to €402 billion, according to provisional figures from Statistics Flanders. This marks the third consecutive decline.
In the last two quarters of 2025, the downward trend was also more pronounced than at the start of the year.
According to Statistics Flanders, the decline is due to lower exports to countries outside the European Union, as well as a decline in pharmaceutical products in particular.
"A Flemish pharmaceutical company opened a distribution centre in the Walloon Region, from which it has been handling shipments ever since," they explain. These exports are therefore no longer included in the Flemish figures.
Flanders' trade balance is also negative, as the region imported goods worth €404 billion last year. This, too, represents a decline (-1.8%) compared to 2024.
There were notably fewer imports from the Netherlands, China, Norway, the United Kingdom and France, and in petroleum products, vehicles and chemical products, according to Statistics Flanders.
The five most important export and import products for Flanders are vehicles and parts, petroleum and natural gas, pharmaceutical products, machinery and equipment, and plastic products and applications. Together, these accounted for 46% of the export value and 49% of the import value.
'Continued vigilance'
Compared to 2024, the share of pharmaceutical products and petroleum in exports fell. In imports, the share of petroleum and natural gas fell, but the share of pharmaceutical products increased.
On Tuesday, Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) noted that, despite the decline in 2025, the export level remains above the level seen before the coronavirus pandemic.
Exports fell particularly to the United States (-21.6%) and the United Kingdom (-11.5%) in 2025, "but within the European Union, Flanders retains its strong position and remains the fifth-largest exporter."
The 27 Member States of the European Union constitute the most important export market for Flanders, accounting for 69% – 4 percentage points more than in 2024 – according to figures from Statistics Flanders.
The three neighbouring countries – Germany, France and the Netherlands – are particularly crucial, accounting for 44%, while growth was mainly seen with Spain, Portugal and Poland.
The EU is also the main trading bloc for Flemish imports, accounting for 60%. The BRICS countries (Brazil, China, Russia, India, etc.) are also relatively important (11%) for Flanders' imports.
According to Diependaele, "continued vigilance is essential. The figures for 2025 confirm that Flanders is in a strong position, but also that we must remain alert to what is happening on the international stage."
"By focusing specifically on diversification, new markets and our sectors with high added value, Flemish exports can remain resilient in the coming years in a rapidly changing world," he said.
Diependaele refers in this context to the importance of free trade agreements. He also advocates "closely monitoring the Middle East as an import supplier," given the war currently raging there.
The figures show that the Flemish Region still accounts for the vast majority of Belgian trade: 80% of goods exports and 85% of imports. In the Brussels Region, there was also a decline in exports in 2025, while Wallonia recorded growth of 11.2%.
