SDG 16.2 Institutions

The second part of SDG 16 is about institutions, such as the press, the judiciary, the Dutch House of Representatives, and the government as a whole. In an open and democratic society, it is important that institutions are accountable, that information is accessible to everyone and that fundamental freedoms are protected. This fosters public trust in the government and makes it easier for people to participate in society.

• The quality of public institutions in the Netherlands is high compared to other countries.
• The effectiveness of public administration and the extent to which the public sector is seen as free from corruption are on a downward trend.
• Trust in the Dutch House of Representatives has declined, while trust in the civil service, municipal government and the European Union has remained constant and trust in the judiciary has increased.

Dashboard and indicators

Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being

Resources and opportunities relate to the resources the government has at its disposal to carry out its tasks and provide services for its citizens. In 2024, the government spent 4.1 percent of GDP on executive and legislative government bodies (such as the House of Representatives, the Senate, municipal authorities and the Tax Administration), foreign aid, general services, interest on public debt and fundamental research. That represents a rise of 0.5 percentage points of GDP compared to 2023 (3.7 percent of GDP). The increase was primarily attributable to the repayment of incorrectly levied capital gains tax (4.3 billion euros), a repayment to an investment fund that had incorrectly been paying corporation tax (0.7 billion euros) and a rise in interest payments on government debt (0.9 billion euros). Over the years, the Netherlands has dropped from the middle of the ranking for this indicator to near the bottom (24th out of the 27 EU countries in 2023).

Use refers to citizens’ use of the services provided by the government and civil society organisations. Active citizen participation in the institutions of society is essential to a properly functioning democracy. Participation is measured based on the coverage rate of collective labour agreements and the turnout for parliamentary elections. The coverage rate of collective labour agreements is an indicator of passive participation. In 2024, 16.0 percent of workers aged 15 to 74 were union members, while 72.5 percent were covered by collective labour agreements. There is a large difference between the number of union members (active participation) and the number of employees who benefit from union representation in salary negotiations (passive participation). The coverage rate of collective labour agreements is trending downwards.

The turnout for parliamentary elections held in 2025 was 78.3 percent. This was high compared to the other EU countries. The ranking for this indicator is based on the turnout at the most recent parliamentary elections. Some countries have compulsory voting, although this is not enforced.

Outcomes relate to the quality of public services, the openness and efficiency of government and public participation in decision-making. Since 1996, the World Bank has been measuring various aspects of good governance using its Worldwide Governance Indicators. These indicators show that the quality of Dutch public institutions is high compared to other countries. The Netherlands ranks in the top five in the EU across all indicators. All the scores are on a scale from -2.5 (weak) to 2.5 (good). However, government effectiveness has fallen from 2.03 in 2018 to 1.75 in 2024. This decline may be linked to the coronavirus pandemic: the sharpest fall took place from 2020 to 2021. Regulatory quality is also falling. The trend for the score on voice and accountability is neither rising or falling. This indicator measures the extent to which citizens are able to influence the composition of their government and whether there is freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, and freedom of the press in their country.

The extent to which the Dutch public sector is perceived to be free from corruption is declining. Transparency International sees an increase in corruption in developed democracies. Corruption is increasing in 13 out of 31 countries in Western Europe and the EU. This development is also visible in countries such as France and Sweden. Only seven countries of Western Europe and the EU are improving. The factors that determine the Netherlands’ score on the Index include inadequate transparency around lobbying and business interests. The Netherlands ranks high on the Corruption Perception Index, indicating a relatively low level of corruption: the higher the score, the greater the extent that a country is free from corruption. The Netherlands ranked fourth in the EU and eighth out of 182 countries and territories worldwide in 2025, with a score of 78 out of 100.

Subjective assessment refers to whether citizens trust government. Trust in the judiciary and the House of Representatives was relatively high compared to 18 other EU countries in 2023. Trust in the judiciary is rising in the Netherlands. In 2025, 78.2 percent of the population aged 15 years and over had very high or fairly high confidence in the judiciary. In 2023, only Finland reported higher figures. Trust in the House of Representatives is trending downwards again, in the current monitor. In 2025, 24.6 percent of the population aged 15 and over had trust in the House of Representatives, down from 31.3 percent a year earlier. This is the lowest figure since the time series began in 2012. Trust in civil servants, local councils and the European Union displays no rising or falling trend.