What are the national accounts?

All macro-economic statistics are compiled within a coherent system: the national accounts. This system provides a quantitative description of the economic process in the Netherlands and the economic relations with the rest of the world. This page provides an overview of the principal macroeconomic indicators published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Below the tables and graphs are the relevant StatLine tables where additional topics and periods can be selected.

Within the national accounts, we distinguish supply and use tables and sector accounts. The supply and use tables describe production, consumption and value added by industry, broken down by product group. The sector accounts break down the various financial flows within the Dutch economy into the main sectors of households, corporations, government and foreign countries. Both systems describe the entire economy and are consistent with each other. The so-called labour accounts are considered a third main system. In addition to these three main systems, the national accounts also publish several satellite accounts. Most annual figures from the main systems are updated six months after the reporting period and usually published end of June.

Economic indicators

One of the key indicators in the national accounts is gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is a measure for the size of the economy. The volume change of GDP in a given reporting period is a measure of the economy’s growth (or contraction). Volume changes are changes in value adjusted for price fluctuations.

GDP and many underlying indicators are also published quarterly. For the latest quarterly statistics, see the StatLine table ‘GDP, output and expenditures; changes, Quarterly National Accounts’.

Supply and use tables

Gross domestic product can be estimated using three different approaches: the production approach, the expenditure approach and the income approaches. These approaches are reflected in the supply and use tables. To begin with, the tables present a comprehensive overview of the production of goods and services: all value which is added by all residents of a country combined results in GDP. This value added equals the production value minus the value of goods and services that are consumed in the production process. The description of production is broken down by sector.

StatLine: Approaches of domestic product (GDP); National Accounts 

In addition, the tables define the volume of consumption and types of consumption; the volume of investments; and the types of import and export. Also in this case, all domestic expenditure combined plus the export surplus add up to GDP.

StatLine: Approaches of domestic product (GDP); National Accounts

Using the income approach, GDP is composed of all wages, gross operating surplus and taxes on production and imports minus subsidies. Gross national income (GNI) can be calculated by adding all primary incomes received from abroad to GDP, deducting the primary incomes that are paid to foreign entities. The sector accounts present a much more extensive overview of the various concepts and breakdowns of income.

StatLine: Approaches of domestic product (GDP); National Accounts

Sector accounts

The sector accounts describe the income distribution, financing and asset formation. For these accounts, the domestic economy is broken down into the main sectors of government, households including non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH), non-financial corporations (NFCs) and financial institutions. Another term for sector accounts is income and assets accounts.

StatLine - Key figures by sector 

Labour accounts

The labour accounts are considered the third main system next to the supply and use tables and the sector accounts. The three main systems touch each other in important areas such as value added and remuneration. As a result, they are fully consistent with one another (through integration).

StatLine: Labour accounts

Satellite accounts

Besides the main systems of SUT, sector accounts and labour accounts, several specific subjects are published within different modules. Below is an overview of the key indicators of these satellite accounts.

Environmental accounts 

The environmental aspects of production and consumption are included in the regular part of the national accounts only to a limited extent. Only expenditure to combat pollution is counted. The pollution itself is not expressed in monetary terms. In the environmental accounts, the environmental effects are quantified as far as possible, and environmental expenditure in the form of environmental taxes or sanitation services is particularised. To achieve a consistent statistical description of this relationship, the environmental accounts are aligned with the classifications and definitions of the national accounts.

The latest quarterly figures can be found here (Dutch only):
Raming CO2-emissie naar lucht; Nederlandse economie, Nationale rekeningen

Besides quarterly emission figures, the environmental accounts also publish annual statistics on  emissions to air, environmental taxes, water consumption and the size of the environmental sector. For a complete overview, see StatLine.

Regional accounts

In the regional accounts, the main macroeconomic variables are broken down by sector and region.

StatLine: Regional key figures; national accounts

Growth accounts

The growth accounts show the contributions from the various production resources to growth of the value added or the gross output. In addition, the development of multifactor productivity can be derived from the growth accounts.

StatLine: Growth accounts

Tourism accounts

The tourism accounts offer an integrated macroeconomic overview of the importance of tourism to the economy. The figures are consistent with the conceptual framework of the national accounts.

StatLIne - Tourism; key indicators, National Accounts

The satellite accounts’ tables can be found here: StatLine - Datasets by themes (cbs.nl)