Government spending was the main driver of economic growth in 2024
Government spending was the main driver of economic growth in the Netherlands in 2024, new figures from national statistics office CBS show.
The economy grew by 1.1% last year, with government consumption accounting for 0.9 percentage points of that increase. The remaining 0.2 percentage points were due to household spending, exports and investments.
Government spending covers healthcare, the work of central and local government, benefits and education including schools and universities.
Spending on the government's own production, such as staff pay and operational costs, rose by 3.9% in 2024, adjusted for price changes, reflecting the growth in the number of civil servants at central and local level.
Spending on social security and other benefits rose by 3.2%.
The CBS said government spending accounted for 25.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, the highest share since 2012. This proportion has increased for two years in a row with only Sweden and Finland having a higher figure within the European Union.
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