Dutch transport sector sees strong growth in 2025 with 4.4% turnover increase
The Dutch transport sector experienced significant growth in 2025, with a 4.4% rise in turnover across all subsectors. While this signals economic recovery, rising costs in aviation and shipping may impact consumers and businesses alike.
| Key Data Point | Value |
|---|---|
| Turnover growth (2025 vs 2024) | +4.4% |
| Strongest subsector growth | Storage & transport services (+4.9%) |
| Weakest subsector growth | Water transport (+2.3%) |
| Q4 2025 turnover growth | +4.6% |
| Price increase (2025 avg.) | +2.4% |
| Aviation price surge | +33.5% |
| Sea shipping price drop | -9.1% |
| Bankruptcies (2025 vs 2024) | -26% |
| Business confidence (Q1 2026) | -4.7 (vs -1.8 national avg.) |
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) monitors economic trends, including transport sector performance, to inform government policy and business decisions. These figures help assess industry health, guide subsidies, and shape regulations affecting logistics and trade.
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Over 4 percent higher turnover for transport companies in 2025
In 2025, turnover in the transport sector was 4.4 percent higher than in 2024. Turnover increased in all subsectors. This marks the second consecutive year of growth in the transport sector, according to the latest figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
The strongest growth was recorded by companies in storage and transport-related services (4.9 percent). Water transporters saw the smallest increase, at 2.3 percent.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, transport companies achieved 4.6 percent higher turnover than in the same period the previous year. Since the first quarter of 2024, turnover has been higher each quarter compared to the same period a year earlier.
Turnover increased in all subsectors, with the strongest growth seen in postal and courier companies (+5.2 percent) and land transporters (+5.0 percent). Air transporters recorded the smallest increase, at 3.0 percent.
In 2025, prices for transport and storage were 2.4 percent higher than a year earlier. In the fourth quarter, they were 2.5 percent higher than in the same period of 2024.
Prices rose particularly sharply in aviation-related services, such as airport fees and air traffic control tariffs (+33.5 percent). Passenger shipping tariffs, including ferry services to England, increased by 10.2 percent.
Over the whole of 2025, prices for goods transport via sea and coastal shipping fell by 9.1 percent. This is the largest annual average decline in 16 years. In the fourth quarter, prices were 9.6 percent lower than a year earlier. Rental prices for seagoing vessels were 2.4 percent lower over the whole of 2025.
In 2025, there were 26 percent fewer bankruptcies in the transport sector than a year earlier. In the fourth quarter of 2025, 55 transport companies went bankrupt, six fewer than in the previous quarter.
At the start of 2026, business confidence in the transport sector stood at -4.7. This is lower than in the previous quarter, when confidence was at -3.3.
Transport sector entrepreneurs are thus more pessimistic than the average Dutch entrepreneur. The overall business confidence among all Dutch entrepreneurs is -1.8.
Sources
- StatLine - Trade and services; turnover and production development, index 2021=100
- StatLine - Service prices; commercial services and transport, index 2021=100
- StatLine - Bankruptcies; businesses and institutions, SBI 2008
- StatLine - Business confidence; sectors (SBI 2008)