Economy - overview:
The Netherlands economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in 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 the food-processing industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country has been one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the four largest investors in the US. After 26 years of uninterrupted economic growth, the Netherlands' economy - which is highly open and dependent on foreign trade and financial services - was hard-hit by global economic crisis. Dutch GDP contracted 3.9% in 2009, while exports declined nearly 25% due to a sharp contraction in world demand. The Dutch financial sector has also suffered, due in part to the high exposure of some Dutch banks to U.S. mortgage-backed securities. In response to turmoil in financial markets, the government nationalized two banks and injected billions of dollars into a third, to prevent further systemic risk. The government also sought to boost the domestic economy by accelerating infrastructure programs, offering corporate tax breaks for employers to retain workers, and expanding export credit facilities. The stimulus programs and bank bailouts, however, resulted in a government budget deficit of nearly 4.6% of GDP in 2009 and 5.6% in 2010 that contrasts sharply with a surplus of 0.7% of GDP in 2008. With unemployment weighing on private-sector consumption, the government of Prime Minister Mark RUTTE is likely to come under increased pressure to keep the budget deficit in check while promoting economic recovery.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - composition by sector: 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: Investment (gross fixed): Budget: Public debt: 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: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Electricity - production: Electricity - consumption: Electricity - exports: Electricity - imports: Oil - production: Oil - consumption: Oil - exports: Oil - imports: Oil - proved reserves: Natural gas - production: Natural gas - consumption: Natural gas - exports: Natural gas - imports: Natural gas - proved reserves: 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:
NOTE: The information regarding Netherlands on this page is re-published from the 2011 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Netherlands Economy 2011 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Netherlands Economy 2011 should be addressed to the CIA.
$680.4 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
[see also: GDP (purchasing power parity) country ranks ]
$770.3 billion (2009 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
1.7% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$40,500 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]
agriculture: 2.6%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
24.9%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - industry country ranks ]
services:
72.4% (2009 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - services country ranks ]
7.86 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
18%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services:
80% (2005 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
5.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
10.5% (2005)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 2.5%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%:
22.9% (1999)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]
30.9 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 107
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
18% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
[see also: Investment (gross fixed) country ranks ]
revenues: $356 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures:
$399.3 billion (2009 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
64.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
1.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
1.75% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 126
note:
this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
10.01% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$368.1 billion (31 December 2010 est)
note:
see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 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
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$1.124 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$2.083 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$542.5 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 20
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock
agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing
3.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
108.2 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
[see also: Electricity - production country ranks ]
124.1 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
[see also: Electricity - consumption country ranks ]
10.56 billion kWh (2009 est.)
[see also: Electricity - exports country ranks ]
15.45 billion kWh (2009 est.)
[see also: Electricity - imports country ranks ]
57,190 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
[see also: Oil - production country ranks ]
922,800 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
[see also: Oil - consumption country ranks ]
1.66 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
[see also: Oil - exports country ranks ]
2.426 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
[see also: Oil - imports country ranks ]
100 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
[see also: Oil - proved reserves country ranks ]
79.58 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Natural gas - production country ranks ]
48.6 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: Natural gas - consumption country ranks ]
55.59 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
[see also: Natural gas - exports country ranks ]
24.6 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
[see also: Natural gas - imports country ranks ]
1.416 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
[see also: Natural gas - proved reserves country ranks ]
$46.69 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$451.3 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
Germany 25.54%, Belgium 12.49%, France 9.27%, UK 8.17%, Italy 5.07%, US 3.97% (2009)
$408.4 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing
Germany 17.16%, China 11.58%, Belgium 8.68%, US 7.77%, UK 5.72%, Russia 4.47%, France 4.4% (2009)
$NA (31 December 2010 est.)
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$NA (30 June 2010)
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$687.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$950.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.774 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)
This page was last modified 09-Feb-11