Economy - overview:
The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. The 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 no more than 3% 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. The pace of job growth reached 10-year highs in 2007, but economic growth fell sharply in 2008 as fallout from the world financial crisis constricted demand and raised the specter of a recession in 2009.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$670.2 billion (2008 est.)
$658.4 billion (2007)
$636.1 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):
$909.5 billion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2008 est.)
3.5% (2007 est.)
3.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita:
$40,300 (2008 est.)
$39,700 (2007 est.)
$38,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 24.4%
services: 73.6% (2008 est.)

Labor force:
7.75 million (2008 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 18%
services: 80% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.5% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 22.9% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
30.9 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.3% of GDP (2008 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $408.5 billion
expenditures: $398.8 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt:
43% of GDP (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate:
NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.72% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:
NA
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 and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:
NA

Stock of domestic credit:
$1.876 trillion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$456.2 billion (31 December 2008)

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:
2.1% (2008 est.)

Electricity - production:
105.2 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:
122.8 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:
5.48 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:
23.09 billion kWh (2007)

Oil - production:
88,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:
984,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.639 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:
2.648 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:
100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:
76.33 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
46.42 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
55.66 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
25.73 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.416 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:
$47 billion (2008 est.)

Exports:
$537.5 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Germany 24.4%, Belgium 13.6%, UK 9.1%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.1%, US 4.3% (2007)

Imports:
$485.3 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Germany 17.7%, China 10.5%, Belgium 9.3%, US 7.3%, UK 5.8%, Russia 5.1%, France 4.4% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$24.28 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Debt - external:
$2.277 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$726.9 billion (2008 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$872.5 billion (2008 est.)