Trading Partner Portal: Belgium
Overview
California partners with Belgium to boost business, strengthen economic ties
Governor of California, October 6, 2025
Trade Overview
Belgium is a high-income nation with a nominal GDP of $664.56 billion. As a relatively small country, Belgium is comparatively dense with a population roughly 11.88 million people. World Bank
Being in Western Europe and a member of the European Union, has allowed Belgium to establish strong trade relationships. Belgium has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995 and before that was a member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) since 1948. Belgium’s main exports are chemicals, machinery, and equipment. They are also large importers of raw materials, machinery, and equipment. In addition, they are a substantial importer of raw diamonds and an exporter of finished diamonds. BEA
U.S. – Belgium Trade
Two-way goods trade between the U.S. and Belgium totaled $63.46 billion with exports in goods totaling approximately $36.28 billion. A majority of exports from the United States into Belgium included chemicals ($15.76 billion), miscellaneous manufactures ($3.46 billion), oil and gas ($2.85 billion), transportation equipment ($2.82 billion), and non-electrical machinery ($2.27 billion).
The United States imported around $27.18 billion of merchandise from Belgium. The top categories of imported goods from Belgium include chemicals ($14.41 billion), goods returned ($2.56 billion), primary metal manufactures ($1.72 billion), processed foods ($1.25 billion), and petroleum and coal products ($1.23 billion). U.S. Department of Commerce
Total services trade between the U.S. and Belgium was roughly $13.11 billion in 2025, with exports totaling $6.69 billion. Top exports included transport services, telecommunications, computer, and information services, travel, charges for intellectual property use, and financial services.
Services imports from Belgium to the U.S. totaled $6.43 billion, with top reportable imports being other business services, transport services, financial services, and telecommunications, computer, and information services.
Belgium – California Trade
California was the third top exporting state in the U.S. for exports to Belgium with $2.64 billion in goods exported in 2025, a 12% increase from 2024. Chemicals was the top export to Belgium at $648 million, followed by computer and electronic products ($426 million), miscellaneous manufactures ($408 million), agricultural products ($266 million), and non-electrical machinery ($266 million).
California imported roughly $901 million of goods from Belgium. This included processed foods ($183 million), reimports ($165 million), chemicals ($140 million), primary metals manufactures ($102 million), and petroleum & coal products ($54 million). U.S. Department of Commerce
FDI – Belgium
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States from Belgium totaled $71 billion in 2024. Belgian FDI supported 80,000 jobs in the United States, invested $412 million in research and development, and another $5 billion has gone into expanding U.S. exports. The top industry sectors in the U.S. that receive FDI from Belgium are software and IT services, food and beverages, plastics, chemicals, business services, and industrial equipment. FDI from the U.S. into Belgium totaled $54.62 billion in the 2024. Select USA
In California in 2025, the twenty-third country for FDI through foreign-owned enterprises (FOEs) is Belgium. Belgian FOEs in California provide 5,049 jobs through 137 firms amounting to $5 52.9 million in wages. The top jobs by sector are manufacturing, transp., warehousing, & utilities, professional and business services, other services, and education & health. (World Trade Center Los Angeles FDI Report, 2025)
More Articles:
Interview Series Featuring California’s Key Trading Partners – Featuring Gunther Sleeuwagen, Consul General of Belgium in Los Angeles:
Highly Diversified, Shared Connections Form Network for Growing Trade Relations
CalChamber, October 16, 2020
Trade Agreements
Trade Agreements and Issues
Memorandum of Understanding Between Belgium and California (2025)
in October of 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new international partnership between California and Belgium to grow economic relations and advance research and innovation, including in green technologies.
The signing occurred in San Francisco, the Governor and a delegation from California welcomed Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid, Princess of Belgium, who led the largest Belgian trade mission to California in their history. California and Belgium are important trading partners and share close economic, academic, and cultural ties.
California partners with Belgium to boost business, strengthen economic ties
Governor of California, October 6, 2025
Events
Events
Belgium Consul General Reviews Trade/ Investment with CalChamber 2009
Consul General Geert M. Criel with the Consulate General of Belgium in Los Angeles, visits with Susanne Stirling, CalChamber vice president of international affairs, as part of a February 11 stop in Sacramento to meet with government officials, private sector companies and business associations to discuss trade and investment opportunities. California exports more than $2 billion to Belgium with a 36 percent increase of computer and electronic exports last year.