Data & ResearchMarch 24, 2026•Updated: 9 November 2026

Logistics & supply chain
statistics 2026

55+ verified data points on logistics and supply chains. From ports and parcels to sustainability, warehouse robotics and supply chain digitalization, with every figure linked to its source. Sources: World Bank, Eurostat, CBS, Port of Rotterdam, IFR and more.

428.4M

tonnes handled by the Port of Rotterdam in 2025

Source: Port of Rotterdam, 2026

117,500

transport & logistics robots sold worldwide in 2025

Source: IFR World Robotics, 2026

#3

the Netherlands' shared global rank in the Logistics Performance Index

Source: World Bank LPI, 2023

Statistics overview

Logistics and supply chain management form the backbone of the global economy. From last-mile delivery innovations to warehouse robotics and sustainable shipping, the sector is changing fast. But what do verified figures tell us about where the industry stands? For Dutch B2B companies, how to build a predictable flow of leads: read more about outsourcing lead generation (in Dutch).

This page compiles 55+ verified statistics on logistics and supply chain, taken from the World Bank, Eurostat, Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Port of Rotterdam, the International Federation of Robotics and other primary sources. Every figure links to the source we opened. Whether you're building a business case for supply chain investment, briefing a B2B marketing agency, or staying informed on industry trends, this data hub gives you the numbers you need.

Section 1

Global logistics market

4.1

Netherlands' LPI score, shared 3rd place worldwide

Source: World Bank, 2023

1.9B

tonnes of goods transported in the Netherlands in 2024

Source: CBS, 2024

4.8%

contribution of transport & storage to the Dutch economy

Source: CBS, 2025

428.4M

tonnes handled by the Port of Rotterdam (-1.7%)

Source: Port of Rotterdam, 2026

  • Singapore (4.3) and Finland (4.2) lead the World Bank Logistics Performance Index 2023. The Netherlands shares third place at 4.1 with Denmark, Germany and Switzerland; Belgium scores 4.0 (World Bank LPI, 2023)
  • The Netherlands scores highest on infrastructure, logistics competence and tracking (4.2 each), followed by timeliness (4.0), customs (3.9) and international shipments (3.7) (World Bank LPI, 2023)
  • Rotterdam is by far the EU's largest seaport: 397.3 million tonnes of seaborne goods in 2024, against 244.2 million for Antwerp-Bruges and 97.0 million for Hamburg (Eurostat, 2024)
  • Rotterdam handled 14.2 million TEU in 2025 (+3.1%); transhipment fell 15.9% as cargo moved to other ports (Port of Rotterdam, 2026)
  • 58% of goods transported in the Netherlands in 2024 had a foreign origin or destination; sea transport accounted for nearly 30% of all goods (CBS, 2024)
  • The Dutch transport sector counts nearly 69,000 companies (end of 2025) and 613,600 working persons (2024); storage and transport services alone had EUR 54 billion in revenue (CBS, 2025)
  • Schiphol was the EU's third-largest cargo airport in 2025 with 1.44 million tonnes, after Frankfurt (2.03 million) and Paris-CDG (1.89 million) (CBS / Eurostat, 2025)
Section 2

E-commerce logistics

23.1B

parcels shipped in the US in 2025 (+3.3%)

Source: Pitney Bowes, 2026

447M

parcels crossed the Dutch border in 2025 (+7.4%)

Source: ACM, 2026

376M

parcels delivered by PostNL in 2025 (+1.2%)

Source: PostNL, 2026

  • Pitney Bowes expects US parcel volume to reach 31 billion by 2031. Amazon Logistics is now the largest US carrier by volume with 6.9 billion parcels; that is 67 parcels per person (Pitney Bowes, 2026)
  • The number of Dutch parcel lockers rose 90.6% to 9,309 in 2025. Still, 82.2% of parcels are delivered at home, 12.4% at a service point and 5.3% elsewhere (ACM, 2026)
  • Domestic Dutch parcel volume grew just 0.9% in 2025, while 3 in 10 parcels sent from the Netherlands go abroad (ACM, 2026)
  • Dutch consumers spent EUR 35.7 billion online in 2025 (-1%) across 347 million purchases; 13% went to foreign webshops (EUR 4.5 billion, 44.8 million purchases, +9%), with China at 31% of cross-border purchases (Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, 2025)
  • Cross-border keeps growing: in the first half of 2026, 14% of all Dutch online purchases came from abroad, up from 10% in 2022 (Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor H1, 2026). Scaling cross-border retail relies heavily on a specialist Google Shopping agency to manage feeds and bids per market.
Section 3

Sustainable logistics

Emissions
28%

of EU greenhouse gas emissions come from transport (2025 estimate)

Source: EEA, 2026

Trucks
-45%

CO2 required from new heavy-duty vehicles in the EU by 2030

Source: European Commission, 2024

Electric vans
+43%

electric vans in the Netherlands in one year, to 54,600 (incl. hybrids)

Source: CBS, 2026

  • Road transport accounts for 72% of EU transport emissions (2024, including international bunkers). With current measures, EU transport emissions in 2030 would be about at 1990 levels; with additional measures 13% below (EEA, 2026)
  • Heavy-duty vehicles cause more than a quarter of EU road transport emissions and over 6% of total EU emissions. Targets for new trucks: -65% by 2035 and -90% by 2040 (European Commission, 2024)
  • The Dutch transport sector emitted 27.2 million tonnes of CO2 in 2024 (+2.2%), 17% of the Dutch economy's CO2 emissions (CBS, 2024)
  • 19 Dutch municipalities and Schiphol have a zero-emission zone for city logistics; 8 more follow by 2030, and from 1 January 2027 Euro 5 vans lose access (Op weg naar ZES, 2026)
  • Ships bunkered 9.8 million tonnes of fuel in Rotterdam in 2025; bio-LNG rose more than sixfold to 17,644 m3 (Port of Rotterdam, 2026)
Section 4

Warehouse automation

117,500

transport & logistics robots sold worldwide in 2025 (+21%)

Source: IFR, 2026

47%

of all professional service robots sold are for transport & logistics

Source: IFR, 2026

1M

robots deployed by Amazon across 300+ facilities

Source: Amazon, 2025

  • Sales of professional service robots rose 24% to almost 250,000 units in 2025; transport and logistics is the largest application (IFR, 2026)
  • 5 million industrial robots now operate worldwide (+9%). More than 600,000 were installed in 2025 (+11%), 354,000 of them in China (59%) (IFR, 2026)
  • IFR forecasts 655,000 industrial robot installations in 2026 and 806,000 in 2029 (IFR, 2026)
  • Amazon says its DeepFleet AI model improves the travel time of its robot fleet by 10% (Amazon, 2025)
  • 2.4% of Dutch transport and storage companies use AI for autonomous robots, vehicles or drones (EU 0.85%); 4.1% use image recognition (EU 2.3%) (Eurostat, 2025)
Section 5

Supply chain digitalization

AI adoption
19.7%

of Dutch transport & storage companies use AI (EU 11.2%)

Source: Eurostat, 2025

Cloud
66.7%

of Dutch transport & storage companies buy cloud services (EU 46.6%)

Source: Eurostat, 2025

AI for logistics
4.5%

use AI specifically for logistics (EU 2.1%)

Source: Eurostat, 2025

  • AI use in Dutch transport and storage doubled in two years: from 9.1% of companies (10+ employees) in 2023 to 19.7% in 2025; in the EU from 5.3% to 11.2% (Eurostat, 2025)
  • Text mining is the most used AI technology in the sector (13.0% in the Netherlands vs 5.9% in the EU), followed by machine learning (6.5% vs 2.7%) (Eurostat, 2025)
  • Cloud use in Dutch transport and storage rose from 57.6% in 2023 to 66.7% in 2025 (EU: 38.8% to 46.6%) (Eurostat, 2025)
  • 84.0% of Dutch transport companies have a website (EU 61.1%), and 54.4% post job vacancies on it (EU 23.3%) (Eurostat, 2025)
  • 74.2% use social media (EU 44.6%), but only 24.4% pay for online ads (2024, EU 17.5%) (Eurostat, 2025). Many firms bridge the gap through an experienced online marketing agency to drive employer branding and demand together.
  • In the first nine months of 2026, Rotterdam's hinterland container volume grew 7.2% while transhipment fell 20% (Port of Rotterdam, 2026)
Summary

Key takeaways

1

The Netherlands is a top logistics country

Shared 3rd in the World Bank LPI (4.1), 1.9 billion tonnes of goods transported in 2024 and the EU's largest seaport in Rotterdam.

2

Parcels: growth has slowed

PostNL grew 1.2% to 376 million parcels and Dutch domestic volume 0.9%, but cross-border parcels rose 7.4% to 447 million.

3

Emissions targets are tightening

Transport causes 28% of EU greenhouse gases. New trucks must emit 45% less CO2 by 2030, and 19 Dutch cities already have zero-emission zones.

4

Robots are going mainstream

117,500 transport and logistics robots were sold in 2025 (+21%), and Amazon runs 1 million robots.

5

AI adoption is doubling

19.7% of Dutch transport and storage companies use AI, up from 9.1% in 2023 and well above the EU (11.2%).

6

Online presence beats online advertising

84% of Dutch transport companies have a website and 74% use social media, but only 24% pay for online ads.

Methodology & sources

Every figure on this page was checked against a source we opened on 9 November 2026. Key sources include:

  • World Bank: Logistics Performance Index 2023 (latest edition)
  • Statistics Netherlands (CBS): transport, ports, air cargo, emissions, vehicles, vacancies
  • Port of Rotterdam: throughput figures 2024, 2025 and 2026, nautical and bunker figures
  • Eurostat: EU port statistics and ICT use by enterprises (AI, cloud, web, social media)
  • ACM and PostNL: Dutch parcel market 2025
  • Thuiswinkel.org: Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor 2025 and H1 2026
  • IFR: World Robotics 2026
  • EEA and European Commission: transport emissions and truck CO2 standards
  • Pitney Bowes and Amazon: parcel volumes and warehouse robotics

Disclaimer: All figures are taken from the most recent available editions of the cited sources. Some figures are preliminary (for example EEA 2025 estimates). Figures we could not trace to an openable source were removed in this update. This page is compiled for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or strategic advice.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How big is the global logistics industry?

We found no global revenue figure that could be traced to an openable primary source, so we show volumes instead. The Netherlands alone transported 1.9 billion tonnes of goods in 2024 and its seaports handled almost 575 million tonnes in 2025, of which the Port of Rotterdam 428.4 million tonnes. Transport causes 28% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, and 117,500 transport and logistics robots were sold worldwide in 2025.

How many packages are delivered globally per year?

There is no verifiable worldwide total we could open. In the United States alone, 23.1 billion parcels were shipped in 2025 (+3.3%), with 31 billion expected by 2031 (Pitney Bowes). In the Netherlands, PostNL delivered 376 million parcels in 2025 and 447 million parcels crossed the Dutch border, 7.4% more than a year earlier (ACM).

How sustainable is the global logistics sector?

Transport accounts for 28% of EU greenhouse gas emissions (EEA, 2025 estimate), and road transport for 72% of that. New heavy-duty vehicles must emit 45% less CO2 by 2030 and 90% less by 2040. In the Netherlands the transport sector emitted 27.2 million tonnes of CO2 in 2024 (+2.2%), while electric vans grew 43% in a year and 19 municipalities plus Schiphol have zero-emission zones for city logistics.

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Ruud ten Have

Compiled by

Ruud ten Have

Ruud is a digital marketer with 10+ years of experience in online advertising and AI implementation. At Searchlab, he combines strategic thinking with hands-on AI tooling to deliver measurable results for businesses.

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