Economy - overview:
The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, plays an important role as a European transportation hub, with a consistently high trade surplus, stable industrial relations, and low 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 euro zone, 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 80% of banking assets, and is four times the size of Dutch GDP.In 2008, during the financial crisis, the government budget deficit hit 5.3% of GDP. Following a protracted recession from 2009 to 2013, during which unemployment doubled to 7.4% and household consumption contracted for four consecutive years, economic growth began inching forward in 2014. Since 2010, Prime Minister Mark RUTTE’s government has 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. In 2017, the government budget returned to a surplus of 0.7% of GDP, with economic growth of 3.2%, and GDP per capita finally surpassed pre-crisis levels. The fiscal policy announced by the new government in the 2018-2021 coalition plans for increases in government consumption and public investment, fueling domestic demand and household consumption and investment. The new government’s policy also plans to increase demand for workers in the public and private sector, forecasting a further decline in the unemployment rate, which hit 4.8% in 2017.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$915.2 billion (2017 est.)
$888 billion (2016 est.)
$868.8 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 28
$824.5 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
3.1% (2017 est.)
2.2% (2016 est.)
2.3% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$53,600 (2017 est.)
$52,100 (2016 est.)
$51,300 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 22
30.6% of GDP (2017 est.)
28.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
28.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 44.4%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 24.7%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 20.5%
[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: 85.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -75% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 1.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 17.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 70.2% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
vegetables, ornamentals, dairy, poultry and livestock products; propagation materials
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing
2.5% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
7.969 million (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 1.2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 17.2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 81.6% (2015 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
5.1% (2017 est.)
5.9% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
8.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 2.3%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 24.9% (2014 est.)
30.3 (2015 est.)
25.1 (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $344.8 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $340.2 billion (2017 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
41.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
0.6% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
59% of GDP (2017 est.)
61.8% of GDP (2016 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: 77
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
calendar year
1.3% (2017 est.)
0.1% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
0% (31 December 2016)
0.05% (31 December 2015)
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: 153
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
1.5% (31 December 2017 est.)
1.47% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$452.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$411.9 billion (31 December 2016 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: 13
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$907.8 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$827.6 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$1.636 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.507 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$652.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$735.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$675 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
$82.44 billion (2017 est.)
$65.71 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$526.4 billion (2017 est.)
$495.4 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and livestock, manufactured goods
Germany 24.1%, Belgium 10.7%, UK 9.4%, France 8.8%, Italy 4.2% (2016)
$435.4 billion (2017 est.)
$402.9 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing
Germany 15.3%, China 14.1%, Belgium 8.4%, US 7.9%, UK 5.3%, Russia 4.1% (2016)
$36.13 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$38.21 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$4.063 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$4.054 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$4.888 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)
$4.759 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$5.809 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)
$5.623 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.906 (2017 est.)
0.9214 (2016 est.)
0.9214 (2015 est.)
0.885 (2014 est.)
0.7634 (2013 est.)