Economic growth is outpacing population growth

Gross domestic product (GDP) per person in the Netherlands was over 62 thousand euros in 2024. That was up by 13.6 percent compared to a decade earlier, after adjusting for price changes. GDP per capita is a measure of a country's material prosperity. However, it tells us nothing about the distribution of wealth in a country, or about other aspects of life and society that play a role in perceived prosperity.

Gap between economic growth and population growth widens in EU

In the EU as a whole, the economy grew by 17.7 percent between 2014 and 2024. That was less than economic growth in the Netherlands, but the total population of current EU member states also grew at a slower rate of 1.6 percent. This means that GDP per EU resident was 15.8 percent higher in 2024 than it was in 2014. Particularly in some northern and western European countries, the difference between economic growth and population growth was smaller than in the Netherlands - including in Austria, Germany, France, Belgium and Sweden.

In other countries, economic growth was high but the population grew much more slowly. This was the case in Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, for instance. This was largely due to the presence of multinational companies, which can provide a significant boost to a country's gross domestic product. GDP per capita also grew very strongly in Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland, Romania and Croatia. In these countries, however, high economic growth was accompanied by population decline.

Actual individual consumption growing less rapidly than GDP

Actual individual consumption per capita in the Netherlands was 10.2 percent higher in 2024 than it was in 2014, after adjusting for price changes. That was less than the increase in GDP per capita (13.6 percent). The same is true of the EU as a whole. Actual individual consumption per capita in the EU was 13.3 percent higher in 2024, while GDP per capita was 15.8 higher.

Actual individual consumption per capita provides a more rounded picture of household material wealth than GDP per capita. It combines household consumption plus government spending on consumption which households receive in the form of social transfers in kind. The latter includes government spending on healthcare and education, for example. As an indicator, actual individual consumption also allows for better international comparisons than household consumption alone, because it takes account of the differences between countries in the way that health care services are financed, for instance.