Netherlands in Numbers

Regulation & economic friction

Part I — the engine

What it shows

The OECD's structured assessment of how restrictive product-market regulation is — where NL ranks among the least restrictive economies — in 5-yearly vintages.

What it cannot prove

Almost everything people actually complain about. PMR measures rules on paper, not permit lead times, enforcement capacity, or nitrogen-related freezes; the methodology changed in 2023, so long comparisons are indicative only. Regulatory burden series do not yet credibly exist — an honest gap, shown as such.

More indicators for this domain are planned — see the methodology & roadmap. Missing here means not credible yet, not forgotten.