Browse a full set of economic indicators

The Netherlands

Includes The Netherlands real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about The Netherlands economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Dutch best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Capital City: Amsterdam; note – The Hague is the seat of government

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Netherlands Bank

Currency Euros (EUR)

International Reserves USD 38.5 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 912.9 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 969.2 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007: 3.8%
2008: 2.2%
2009: -3.7%
2010: 1.3%
2011: 1.6%
2012: -1%
2013: -0.1%
2014: 1.4%
2015: 2%
2016: 2.2%
2017: 2.9%
2018: 2.5% (Estimate)
GDP per capita – current prices USD 53,106.4 (2018, estimate)

GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 56,383.3 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980: 1.29%
1990: 1.19%
2000: 1.08%
2010: 0.85%
2019: 0.71% (Estimate)
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 1.6%
industry: 17.5%
services: 70.3%
(2018 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)
2% (2017)

OECD, data retrieved October 2019
Inflation 2015: 0.2%
2016: 0.1%
2017: 1.3%
2018: 1.6% (Estimate)
2019: 2.5% (Estimate)

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015: 0.2%
2016: 0.1%
2017: 1.3%
2018: 1.6% (Estimate)
2019: 2.5% (Estimate)
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: AAA

Moody’s: Aaa

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate 2015: 6.9%
2016: 6%
2017: 4.9%
2018: 3.8% (Estimate)
2019: 3.3% (Estimate)
Household saving rates 8.4% (Total, 2018)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015: 64.6%
2016: 61.9%
2017: 56.9%
2018: 52.4% (Estimate)
2019: 49.2% (Estimate)
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015: -2%
2016: 0%
2017: 1.3%
2018: 1.5% (Estimate)
2019: 1.2% (Estimate)
Market value of publicly traded shares 2016: USD 805.7 billion
2017: USD 1,100.1 billion
2018: N/A
Largest Companies Altice Europe, Wolters Kluwer, X5 Retail Group, Yandex NV, KPN, Adyen, VEON, Royal Dutch Shell, ING Group, AIRBUS, Unilever, EXOR, Royal Ahold Delhaize N.V., Heineken, NN Group, ASML Holding, Philips, Aegon, NXP Semiconductors, Unibail-Rodamco, Akzo Nobel, DSM, Steinhoff International, Randstad Holding, Asr Nederland

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 82.5% (2015)

Shares in world total merchandising export 3.4% (2015)

Shares in world total commercial services export 3.7% (2015)

Total exports USD 460.1 billion (2016 estimate)

Export commodities Machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Total imports USD 376.3 billion (2016 estimate)

Import commodities Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Exports – major partners Germany 24.5%, Belgium 11.1%, UK 9.3%, France 8.4%, Italy 4.2% (2015)

Imports – major partners Germany 14.7%, China 14.5%, Belgium 8.2%, US 8.1%, UK 5.1% (2015)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD 65.5 billion (2017 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP 8.2% (2017 estimate)

FDI inflows 2013: USD 51,375 million
2014: USD 52,198 million
2015: USD 72,649 million
FDI Outflows 2013: USD 69,974 million
2014: USD 55,966 million
2015: USD 113,429 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2012: USD -1,091.8 million
2013: USD -3,142.1 million
2014: USD -1,340.0 million
2015: USD 20,274.8 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 AerCap Holdings NV, International Lease Finance Corp, United States, USD 5.4 billion / Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Repsol SA-Liquefied Natural Gas Business, Peru, USD 4.6 billion / PPF Group NV, Telefonica Czech Republic as, Czech Republic, USD 3.3 billion

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 Genesis International Holdings NV, Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd, South Africa, USD 20.4 billion / DE Master Blenders 1753 BV-Coffee Business, Mondelez International Inc-Coffee Business, Netherlands, USD 4.2 billion

Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

82 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 53 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 166 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 107 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 98 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 48 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 111 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 123 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 25 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 120 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 39 out of 190 countries
World Bank – Doing Business 2020
Global competitiveness ranking 4 out of 138 countries

(2016-2017)

Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 16 / Score: 74.55 (Mostly free) (2016)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Time Zone UTC+1

Total Area 41,543 sq km

Total Population 1990: 14.89 million
2000: 15.86 million
2010: 16.58 million
2015: 16.9 million
2020: 17.28 million (Estimate)
Urban population as % of total population 1960: 59.8%
1980: 64.7%
2000: 76.8%
2018: 91.5%
Population median age 42.7 years

Population growth rate 0.38% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy 81.5 years (2018 estimate)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 0.2% (last available estimate, 2015)

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
28.2 (last available estimate, 2015)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating Free
Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed: 34.6%

Mobile: 0%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 94.71 % (2018)

Language & Religon

Languages Dutch (official)

Literacy N/A
Religions Roman Catholic 23.6%, Protestant 14.9% (includes Dutch Reformed 6.4%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands 5.6%, Calvinist 2.9%), Muslim 5.1%, other 5.6% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 50.7% (2017 est.)

World Rankings

Population 17.28 M
Mercer Cost of living index Amsterdam: 58th (2019)

C02 Emissions per capita 9.92 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: The Netherlands

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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