Dutch economy grew 0.6% in third quarter, first CBS estimate shows
Trade and the refilling of natural gas reserves drove growth between July and September. Compared with a year earlier, GDP was 2.1% higher.
The Dutch economy grew by 0.6% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, according to the first estimate from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The figures, published on 30 October, cover July to September.
CBS also revised growth for the second quarter upwards, from 0.6% to 0.7%. Compared with the third quarter of 2025, the economy was 2.1% larger, with household consumption and the trade balance contributing most over that year.
Trade and gas stocks
A positive trade balance and the restocking of natural gas reserves were the main drivers of growth in the quarter. Exports rose by 0.5%, led by machinery and transport equipment, while imports grew more slowly.
Households spent 0.4% more than in the second quarter, with higher spending on food and clothing. Government consumption also rose by 0.4%, mainly because of spending on health care and civil servants’ salaries.
Investment fell by 0.1%. CBS attributes that to fewer aircraft being imported than in the previous quarter.
Manufacturing made the largest contribution
Value added grew fastest in mining and quarrying, at 6.9%. Manufacturing grew more slowly, by 2.7%, but because of its size it made the largest contribution to economic growth in the quarter. Machinery production grew strongly.
A first estimate
All figures are volume figures, meaning they are adjusted for price changes, and quarter-on-quarter comparisons are seasonally adjusted. The first estimate is published 30 days after a quarter ends and is based on the information available at that point.
The Dutch-language release notes that over the past five years, the second estimate differed from the first by 0.2 percentage points on average. The second estimate for the third quarter is due on Thursday 24 December.
