Investment down by 3.5 percent in April

In April, the volume of investment in tangible fixed assets was down by 3.5 percent, year on year, as reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). One month earlier, investments grew by 2.0 percent. In April, investment in buildings, infrastructure and passenger cars was lower, while investment in machinery (including defence equipment) and aircraft was higher.

These figures on investment have not been adjusted for calendar effects. April 2026 had one working day less than April 2025. For June, conditions for investment in the Netherlands were less unfavourable than they were in April.

The figures for March were originally scheduled for publication on Friday 22 May, but were postponed due to a fire in a data centre. The figures for March were published in StatLine today.

Investment climate less unfavourable in June

Every month, CBS publishes an update on the investment climate in the visualisation of Investment Conditions. Factors that are relevant to the investment climate include the situation in sales markets and the financial markets. Although the indicators in the visualisation correlate fairly well with fixed investment, improved conditions do not necessarily result in higher growth or a smaller contraction in investment.

In June, the investment climate in the Netherlands was less unfavourable than it was in April. This is because the year-on-year increase in share prices and in goods exports was larger, the industrial capacity utilisation rate increased and consumer confidence improved.