While often hidden behind historic canals and tulip fields, the Dutch industrial engine is a powerhouse, contributing a staggering €183.5 billion to the national economy and employing nearly 800,000 people while leading the world in everything from high-tech chipmaking and agricultural exports to sustainable energy innovation.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the Dutch manufacturing sector contributed €183.5 billion to the gross value added, accounting for 12.4% of the national GDP
- The Dutch manufacturing industry employed 784,000 full-time equivalents in 2022, a 1.2% increase from the previous year
- Metal products manufacturing in the Netherlands produced €28.7 billion worth of goods in 2022, representing 15.6% of total manufacturing output
- In 2022, the Netherlands produced 1.2 million tonnes of natural gas from the Groningen field before full closure
- Dutch renewable energy share in total final energy consumption was 14.8% in 2022
- Total electricity generation in the Netherlands reached 123.4 TWh in 2022, with 40% from renewables
- AkzoNobel, a major Dutch chemical company, produced 12.5 million tonnes of chemicals in 2022
- The Dutch chemical industry exported €52.3 billion worth of products in 2022
- VNCI member companies in the Netherlands employed 92,000 people in the chemical sector in 2022
- The Dutch food processing industry had a turnover of €110 billion in 2022
- Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products with €122 billion in 2022
- Dairy processing in the Netherlands produced 7.2 billion kg of milk products in 2022
- ASML Holding supplied 80% of the world's extreme ultraviolet lithography machines in 2022
- Philips Healthcare generated €18.2 billion in revenue from high-tech medical devices in 2022
- The Dutch high-tech systems sector exported €45.6 billion in 2022
Dutch manufacturing significantly contributes to GDP with strong export and high-tech output.
Chemicals
- AkzoNobel, a major Dutch chemical company, produced 12.5 million tonnes of chemicals in 2022
- The Dutch chemical industry exported €52.3 billion worth of products in 2022
- VNCI member companies in the Netherlands employed 92,000 people in the chemical sector in 2022
- Basic chemicals production in the Netherlands totaled 28.4 million tonnes in 2022
- DSM's nutritional products division generated €4.1 billion in sales in 2022
- Dutch plastics production reached 5.2 million tonnes in 2022
- Chemical industry value added in the Netherlands was €22.7 billion in 2022
- Fertilizer production in the Dutch chemical sector was 7.8 million tonnes in 2022
- R&D investment by Dutch chemical industry was €1.9 billion in 2022
- Paints and coatings production in the Netherlands totaled €3.4 billion turnover in 2022
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing in the Netherlands had €15.2 billion turnover in 2022
- Man-made fibres output in Dutch chemicals was 0.9 million tonnes in 2022
- Chemical industry energy consumption was 15% of national total in 2022
- Number of chemical companies in the Netherlands was 1,850 in 2022
- Specialty chemicals share in Dutch chemical production was 35% in 2022
- Detergents and cleaning products turnover was €2.6 billion in 2022
- CO2 emissions from Dutch chemical industry were 18.5 million tonnes in 2022
- Export share of Dutch chemical production was 85% in 2022
- Average productivity in Dutch chemicals was €320,000 per employee in 2022
- Investments in Dutch chemical plants totaled €3.2 billion in 2022
- Biobased chemicals production grew 12% to 0.4 million tonnes in 2022
- LyondellBasell operated capacity in the Netherlands was 4.5 million tonnes/year in 2022
- Chemical recycling capacity in the Netherlands reached 50,000 tonnes in 2022
- Turnover growth in Dutch chemicals was 6.8% in 2022
Chemicals Interpretation
From Rotterdam’s bustling ports to its buzzing labs, the Dutch chemical sector proves itself a global titan, producing essential materials for the world while wrestling with the monumental task of decarbonizing its own impressive scale.
Energy
- In 2022, the Netherlands produced 1.2 million tonnes of natural gas from the Groningen field before full closure
- Dutch renewable energy share in total final energy consumption was 14.8% in 2022
- Total electricity generation in the Netherlands reached 123.4 TWh in 2022, with 40% from renewables
- Offshore wind capacity installed in Dutch waters was 2.9 GW at the end of 2022
- Natural gas consumption in the Dutch energy sector was 65.3 billion cubic meters in 2022
- Solar PV capacity in the Netherlands totaled 17.8 GW in 2022
- Dutch energy-intensive industries consumed 28% of total industrial energy in 2022
- Hydrogen production capacity in the Netherlands was 0.1 GW electrolyser in 2022, with plans for expansion
- Onshore wind power generation contributed 12.5 TWh to Dutch electricity in 2022
- Final energy consumption in the Netherlands decreased by 4.2% to 2,450 PJ in 2022
- Coal-fired power generation in the Netherlands fell to 4.8 TWh in 2022
- Energy efficiency improvement in Dutch industry was 1.5% in 2022
- Bioenergy contributed 7.2% to Dutch renewable energy production in 2022
- Dutch electricity import dependency was 15% in 2022
- Number of electric vehicle charging points in the Netherlands reached 120,000 in 2022
- Geothermal energy production in the Netherlands was 1.2 PJ in 2022
- Energy prices for Dutch industry rose 45% in 2022 compared to 2021
- Carbon capture and storage capacity in Dutch North Sea was 10 MtCO2/year in 2022 projects
- District heating coverage in the Netherlands served 8% of households in 2022
- Dutch refineries processed 72.5 million tonnes of crude oil in 2022
- Share of green gas in total gas supply was 3.1% in 2022
- Energy R&D spending by Dutch government was €450 million in 2022
- Peak electricity demand in the Netherlands was 21.5 GW in 2022
- Dutch industry energy taxes totaled €2.8 billion in 2022
Energy Interpretation
The Netherlands spent 2022 energetically waving goodbye to its gas past with one hand while, with a slightly less coordinated other hand, frantically building and buying a renewable future, all while wincing at a whopping 45% energy price hike.
Food and Agriculture Industry
- The Dutch food processing industry had a turnover of €110 billion in 2022
- Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products with €122 billion in 2022
- Dairy processing in the Netherlands produced 7.2 billion kg of milk products in 2022
- Meat processing turnover was €18.5 billion in the Dutch industry in 2022
- Vegetable processing employed 45,000 people in 2022
- Bakery products output in the Netherlands was 1.1 million tonnes in 2022
- Beverage industry turnover reached €14.3 billion, with beer at 6% share in 2022
- Fruit and vegetable juice production was 1.2 billion liters in 2022
- Dutch flower bulb processing exported €1.8 billion in 2022
- Seed production and processing turnover was €2.4 billion in 2022
- Food industry R&D spending was €650 million in 2022
- Number of food manufacturing firms was 18,200 in 2022
- Organic food processing share was 4.5% of total in 2022
- Greenhouse horticulture production value was €25 billion in 2022
- Poultry processing output was 1.05 billion kg in 2022
- Fish processing turnover €3.2 billion in 2022
- Confectionery production was 450,000 tonnes in 2022
- Margarine and fats production 650,000 tonnes in 2022
- Food export to EU was 55% of total agri-food exports in 2022
- Energy use in Dutch food industry was 120 PJ in 2022
- Waste generation in food processing 2.1 million tonnes in 2022
- Precision agriculture tech adoption 68% in Dutch farms in 2022
- Fertilizer use efficiency improved 12% in 2022
- Irrigation coverage 25% of agricultural land in 2022
- Agri-food employment 550,000 FTE in 2022
- Yield of potatoes 45 tonnes/ha in 2022
- Greenhouse gas emissions from agri-food 18% of national total in 2022
- Investment in agri-tech €1.2 billion in 2022
Food and Agriculture Industry Interpretation
From tulip bulbs to dairy herds, the Netherlands feeds Europe and beyond with an impressive but energy-hungry industrial ballet that churns out billions in exports while wrestling with its own monumental waste and emissions.
High-Tech and Engineering
- ASML Holding supplied 80% of the world's extreme ultraviolet lithography machines in 2022
- Philips Healthcare generated €18.2 billion in revenue from high-tech medical devices in 2022
- The Dutch high-tech systems sector exported €45.6 billion in 2022
- Engineering services turnover in the Netherlands was €32.4 billion in 2022
- NXP Semiconductors, Dutch-origin, had €13.2 billion sales in automotive chips in 2022
- R&D expenditure in Dutch high-tech industry was €12.5 billion in 2022
- Number of high-tech startups in the Netherlands reached 1,200 in 2022
- Robotics industry employment 15,000 in 2022
- Semiconductor manufacturing capacity in Eindhoven region 20% of Europe in 2022
- 3D printing market in Dutch high-tech was €450 million in 2022
- Aerospace engineering exports €4.2 billion in 2022
- ICT hardware manufacturing turnover €8.9 billion in 2022
- Patent applications in high-tech sectors 12,500 in 2022
- Brainport Eindhoven high-tech GDP contribution 25% regional in 2022
- Quantum technology investments €200 million in 2022
- Precision engineering firms 2,500 in number in 2022
- Automation software exports €3.1 billion in 2022
- Biotech engineering turnover €6.7 billion in 2022
- High-tech employment 450,000 FTE in 2022
- Venture capital in high-tech €2.8 billion in 2022
- AI applications in Dutch engineering 35% adoption rate in 2022
- Optical equipment production €1.9 billion in 2022
- Nanotechnology R&D €350 million spent in 2022
- Shipbuilding high-tech turnover €1.5 billion in 2022
- Cybersecurity hardware exports €900 million in 2022
High-Tech and Engineering Interpretation
For a country its size, the Netherlands is operating as the globe's indispensable high-tech workshop, masterfully carving out the microscopic chips, medical machines, and precision systems upon which modern civilization increasingly depends.
Manufacturing
- In 2022, the Dutch manufacturing sector contributed €183.5 billion to the gross value added, accounting for 12.4% of the national GDP
- The Dutch manufacturing industry employed 784,000 full-time equivalents in 2022, a 1.2% increase from the previous year
- Metal products manufacturing in the Netherlands produced €28.7 billion worth of goods in 2022, representing 15.6% of total manufacturing output
- Dutch food manufacturing turnover reached €103.2 billion in 2022, up 8.5% from 2021
- The machinery manufacturing sector in the Netherlands exported €17.4 billion in products in 2022
- Electrical equipment manufacturing in the Netherlands had a value added of €6.8 billion in 2022
- Dutch textile manufacturing output grew by 3.2% in 2022 to €4.1 billion
- The printing and reproduction of recorded media sector in the Netherlands generated €2.9 billion in turnover in 2022
- Dutch rubber and plastics manufacturing employed 32,000 people in 2022
- Furniture manufacturing in the Netherlands saw a 5.1% decline in production volume in 2022
- Other manufacturing sectors in the Netherlands contributed €45.6 billion to GDP in 2022
- Repair and installation of machinery turnover in Dutch manufacturing was €12.3 billion in 2022
- Dutch manufacturing productivity per hour worked increased by 2.1% in 2022 to €62.4
- Energy intensity in Dutch manufacturing decreased by 1.8% in 2022
- R&D expenditure in Dutch manufacturing reached €8.7 billion in 2022, 4.7% of turnover
- Dutch manufacturing export share was 78% of total production in 2022
- Capacity utilization in Dutch manufacturing averaged 82.3% in 2022
- Number of manufacturing enterprises in the Netherlands was 62,400 in 2022
- Average wage in Dutch manufacturing was €48,200 annually in 2022
- Investment in tangible goods by Dutch manufacturing was €14.2 billion in 2022
- Greenhouse gas emissions from Dutch manufacturing totaled 45.2 million tonnes CO2-eq in 2022
- Dutch manufacturing imported €112.4 billion in intermediate goods in 2022
- Share of high-tech manufacturing in total manufacturing output was 28.6% in 2022
- Dutch manufacturing SMEs accounted for 62% of employment in 2022
- Turnover per employee in Dutch manufacturing was €245,000 in 2022
- Dutch manufacturing sector's trade surplus was €67.8 billion in 2022
- Automation rate in Dutch manufacturing reached 45% in 2022
- Female employment share in Dutch manufacturing was 22.4% in 2022
- Digital intensity index for Dutch manufacturing was 42.1 out of 100 in 2022
Manufacturing Interpretation
While robots may be automating nearly half the factory floors and women remain a stark minority, the stubborn heart of the Netherlands still pumps metal and chocolate, proving its €67.8 billion trade surplus is built on brainpower, butter, and a surprising amount of high-tech glue.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CBScbs.nlVisit source
- Reference 2ECec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 3AKZONOBELakzonobel.comVisit source
- Reference 4VNCIvnci.nlVisit source
- Reference 5DSMdsm.comVisit source
- Reference 6LYONDELLBASELLlyondellbasell.comVisit source
- Reference 7WAGENINGENURwageningenur.nlVisit source
- Reference 8WURwur.nlVisit source
- Reference 9ASMLasml.comVisit source
- Reference 10PHILIPSphilips.comVisit source
- Reference 11NXPnxp.comVisit source
- Reference 12BRAINPORTbrainport.nlVisit source