Volume of gold and silver exports from Western Europe 1601-1780
Throughout the 17th century, the majority of gold and silver exports from Western Europe were used to continue commerce with traditional trading partners in the Baltic and Mediterranean regions. Then, as British and Dutch trading companies consolidated their power in Asia from the mid-1600s, the volume of these exports from Europe to Asia increased significantly, and exports to the four given regions were fairly similar throughout the 18th century (although exports to the Baltic were consistently the highest).