Economy - overview:
The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, plays an important role as a European transportation hub, with a persistently high trade surplus, stable industrial relations, and moderate unemployment. Industry focuses on food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for food-processing and underpins the country’s status as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter.The Netherlands is part of the Eurozone, and as such, its monetary policy is controlled by the European Central Bank. The Dutch financial sector is highly concentrated, with four commercial banks possessing over 90% of banking assets. The sector suffered as a result of the global financial crisis and required billions of dollars of government support, but the European Banking Authority completed stringent reviews in 2014 and deemed Dutch banks to be well-capitalized. To address the 2009 and 2010 economic downturns, the government sought to stimulate the domestic economy by accelerating infrastructure programs, offering corporate tax breaks for employers to retain workers, and expanding export credits. The stimulus programs and bank bailouts, however, resulted in a government budget deficit of 5.3% of GDP in 2010 that contrasted sharply with a surplus of 0.7% in 2008.The government of Prime Minister Mark RUTTE has since implemented significant austerity measures to improve public finances and has instituted broad structural reforms in key policy areas, including the labor market, the housing sector, the energy market, and the pension system. As a result, the government budget deficit at the end of 2015 dropped to 2% of GDP. Following a protracted recession during which unemployment doubled to 7.4% and household consumption contracted for nearly three consecutive years, the year 2014 saw fragile GDP growth of 1% and a rise in most economic indicators. Growth picked up in 2015 as households boosted purchases through reduced saving. Drivers of growth included increased exports and business investments, as well as newly invigorated household consumption.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$831.4 billion (2015 est.) $816.7 billion (2014 est.) $808.5 billion (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 28
[see also: GDP country ranks ]

GDP (official exchange rate):
$750.8 billion (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]

GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2015 est.) 1% (2014 est.) -0.5% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$49,300 (2015 est.) $48,400 (2014 est.) $47,900 (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 25
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]

Gross national saving:
27.5% of GDP (2015 est.) 28.7% of GDP (2014 est.) 29% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]

GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption: 45%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 25.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 19%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: -0.1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 83.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -72.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 1.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 18.8%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 79.6% (2015 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]

Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Industries:
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:
1% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]

Labor force:
7.884 million (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1.8%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 17%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 81.2% (2013 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]

Unemployment rate:
6.9% (2015 est.) 7.4% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]

Population below poverty line:
9.1% (2013 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 24.5% (2012 est.)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
25.1 (2013 est.) 32.6 (1994 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]

Budget:
revenues: $336.5 billion
[see also: Budget revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $351.8 billion (2015 est.)
[see also: Budget expenditures country ranks ]

Taxes and other revenues:
44.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-2% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]

Public debt:
68.9% of GDP (2015 est.) 68.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
country comparison to the world: 46
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.3% (2015 est.) 0.3% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]

Central bank discount rate:
0.05% (31 December 2013) 0.3% (31 December 2010)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
country comparison to the world: 146
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
2% (31 December 2015 est.) 2.27% (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]

Stock of narrow money:
$357.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $388.6 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
country comparison to the world: 15
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]

Stock of broad money:
$1.119 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $1.158 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]

Stock of domestic credit:
$1.712 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $1.853 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$671.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $698.6 billion (31 December 2013) $578.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]

Current account balance:
$72.21 billion (2015 est.) $90.16 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]

Exports:
$488.3 billion (2015 est.) $571.8 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Exports country ranks ]

Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners:
Germany 25.3%, Belgium 12.9%, UK 8.9%, France 8.6%, Italy 4.3% (2014)

Imports:
$404.6 billion (2015 est.) $469 billion (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: Imports country ranks ]

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners:
Germany 14.5%, China 13%, Belgium 8.4%, US 6.5%, UK 6.1%, Russia 5.7%, Norway 4.1% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$42.92 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $46.25 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]

Debt - external:
$4.154 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $4.524 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$561.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.) $540.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.029 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $930.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]

Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.89 (2015 est.) 0.75 (2014 est.) 0.76 (2013 est.) 0.78 (2012 est.) 0.72 (2011 est.)