Dutch economy grew 0.6% in the third quarter, first estimate shows
The Dutch statistics office said GDP rose 0.6% from the second quarter and 2.1% year on year, with exports and consumption up and manufacturing the largest contributor.
AI illustrationThe Dutch economy grew by 0.6 percent in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, the Dutch statistics office said in its first estimate. Year on year, GDP was up by 2.1 percent.
The quarterly figures are volume figures, adjusted for price changes, and are seasonally adjusted for comparison with the previous quarter.
Exports increased by 0.5 percent from the second quarter, led in particular by machinery and transport equipment. Imports of goods and services grew at a slower rate, so the balance of trade increased.
Household consumption rose by 0.4 percent, with higher spending on food and clothing. Government consumption also rose by 0.4 percent, as the government spent more on health care and civil servants' salaries in particular. Investment fell by 0.1 percent because fewer aircraft were imported than in the previous quarter.
By sector, value added grew the most in mining and quarrying, at 6.9 percent. Manufacturing grew at a slower rate of 2.7 percent but still made the largest contribution to growth in the third quarter because of its economic significance, with the machinery sector seeing significant growth. Value added in trade, food and accommodation services, transportation and storage fell by 0.3 percent, and construction grew by 0.1 percent.
Compared with the third quarter of 2025, household consumption and the trade balance contributed the most to growth. Public consumption was up by 2.0 percent and household consumption by 1.8 percent year on year. Investments were up by 0.8 percent. Exports rose by 2.7 percent while imports, by value, grew by 2.2 percent. Manufacturing and trade, accommodation and food services, transport and storage made the largest contribution to year-on-year growth.
The statistics office publishes the first estimate 30 days after the end of a quarter, based on the information available at that time, and recalculates as new data is collected. Over the five-year period of 2021-2025, the difference between the final and first estimates was 0.2 percentage points on average in absolute terms, ranging between -0.4 and +0.7 percentage points. With each new estimate, the office also updates seasonally adjusted figures for earlier quarters: growth for the second quarter of 2026 has been adjusted from 0.6 to 0.7 percent. The second estimate for the third quarter is due on Thursday 24 December.