Well-being ‘elsewhere’: Trade and aid
Trade and aid concerns the ways the Netherlands is connected with the rest of the world. Well-being in other countries is influenced by trade and development cooperation and by the money that people transfer to family and friends abroad from the Netherlands.
- The bulk of the Netherlands’ imports come from high-income and upper-middle-income countries.
- The Netherlands did not achieve the OECD target for development aid in 2024.
Trade and aid
in EU
in 2024
in EU
in 2024
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade and aid | Imports of goods from low-income countries | € 61 per capita (prices 2020) in 2025 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Trade and aid | Imports of goods from lower-middle-income countries | € 1,226 per capita (prices 2020) in 2025 | |||
| Trade and aid | Imports of goods from upper-middle-income countries | € 4,968 per capita (prices 2020) in 2025 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Trade and aid | Imports of goods from high-income countries | € 18,064 per capita (prices 2020) in 2025 | |||
| Trade and aid | Official development assistance | 0.6% of gross national income in 2024 | 5th out of 27 in 2024 | High ranking | |
| Trade and aid | Remittances | 1.5% of GDP in 2024 | 6th out of 27 in 2024 | High ranking |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
Through its imports of goods, the Netherlands influences jobs and incomes in other countries. In this theme, Trade and aid, that influence is interpreted positively: more imports means more jobs and higher incomes. However, it is unclear what kind of jobs are created and how these economic activities impact on other societies and the environment. Some of these impacts are measured in the theme 'Environment and resources'.
In order to show where the Netherlands has an effect on other countries, trading partners have been divided into four groups: low-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, upper-middle-income countries and high-income countries. This classification is derived from the World Bank and is based on countries’ gross national income (GNI) per capita. Import values have been corrected for inflation and all amounts are expressed in 2020 prices.
For the first time, imports of goods from low-income countries are trending upwards, increasing by 12.7 percent in 2025. Around 74 percent of the goods imports by value come from high-income countries, and about 20 percent from upper-middle-income countries. These are therefore the countries where the impact on jobs and incomes is felt most strongly. Only 0.3 percent of goods imports come from low-income countries.
Development aid and income transfers also contribute to the well-being of people elsewhere in the world. The Netherlands is not meeting the agreed standard for development aid. In 1970, UN member states agreed to spend 0.7 percent of their annual GNI on development aid (the OECD standard). In 2024, the development aid made available by the Netherlands amounted to 0.6 percent of GNI. Income transfers from people resident in the Netherlands to non-residents in other countries and the salaries of non-residents stood at 1.5 percent of GDP. This put the Netherlands towards the top of the EU ranking in 2024 (6th out of 27 countries). The actual effects on well-being ‘elsewhere’ are determined by how the money is spent by the recipients. The assumption is that development aid and income transfers help to ensure the livelihoods of people in the receiving countries.