The Dutch Economy
| Head of State | King Willem-Alexander |
| Form of Government | Constitutional monarchy / parliamentary democracy |
| Capital | Amsterdam |
| Seat of government | The Hague |
| Surface | 41543 km2 | mi2 16039 |
| Location | Western Europe, the North Sea, bordering Belgium and Germany |
| Climate | Temperate maritime climate |
| Temperatures | 14oC/57oF (Summer) | 6th C/43oF (Winter) |
| Population | 16,670,701 (March 2011) |
| Population Density | 493/km2 (March 2011) |
| Workforce | 8.761 million (2010) |
| Languages | Dutch and Frisian (only in the province of Friesland) |
| Inglés | 85% of population also speaks English |
| Economic Development | 2.5% (Q4 2010) |
| Inflation | 2.0% (March 2011) |
| Unemployment rate, regardless of the season | 5.1% of the total labour force (March 2011) |
| Most important export destinations | Germany, Belgium, the UK and France (Europe 82%) |
- GDP (2010): $779 billion.
- The growth of GDP (2010): 1.69%.
- GDP per capita (2010): $ 46914.66.
- Natural resources: natural gas, oil, fertile land.
- Agriculture (1.8% of GDP): Products - dairy products, poultry, meat, livestock, flower bulbs, flowers, vegetables and fruits, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, barley.
- Industry (25.4% of GDP): Types - agro-industries, steel and aluminium, metal and engineering, machinery and electrical equipment, bulk chemicals, natural gas, petroleum products, construction, transport equipment, microelectronics, fishing.
- Services (72.8% of GDP): Types - trade, hotels, restaurants, transport, storage and communications, financial services (banking and insurance) and business services, health and others.
- Trade (2009): Exports - $387.8 billion FOB: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels, processed foods and tobacco and agricultural products. Imports - $345.6 billion FOB: mineral fuels and crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels and crude oil, consumer products, food products. Main trading partners (exports / imports) - EU (74.5% / 55.6%), Germany (24.1% / 19.6%), Belgium (11% / 10%), China (1.5 % / 7.9%), United Kingdom (8.4% / 6.1%), the U.S. (4.5% / 8.4%) and France (8.9% / 4.9%).
More information please refer to the document: Estudio de Oportunidades Comerciales del Ecuador en los Países Bajos (Study of Ecuador’s Trade Opportunities in the Netherlands)
Doing Business in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is an attractive country when it comes to doing business. This is because it provides a strategic location for both local and foreign companies to serve markets within Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The central geographical position and Dutch infrastructure are some of the many reasons why a foreign company should establish its business in the Netherlands. However, companies may face several difficulties in relation to the process of settling in the Netherlands and benefiting from the Dutch distribution channels to gain access to the markets of the EMEA region. It is necessary, therefore, for companies to have the information that will allow them to reduce the major obstacles to doing business in the Netherlands. Continue reading the full document.
