Government: size & composition

Part I — the engine

What it shows

The size of collective spending and revenue relative to GDP, what the money goes to (COFOG functions), public-sector employment, and the debt and deficit position against EMU norms — the Netherlands has run comparatively low debt for two decades.

What it cannot prove

Effectiveness. Spending %GDP measures input, not outcomes — a euro on education is counted, not judged. General government ≠ "The Hague": it includes municipalities, and health spending routed through mandatory private insurance sits partly outside these totals.

E1Government expenditure

45.3% of GDP

→

1y +0.3 · 5y -3.7 · 10y +0.4

ACBSsince 1995 · as of Q1 2026

E2Spending by function

44.4% of GDP

→

1y +0.4 · 5y +2.3 · 10y -2.3

AEurostatsince 1995 · as of 2024

E3Government consumption

26.0% GDP