The Netherlands

The kingdom of ‘The Netherlands’, also known as ‘Holland’ (call us however you want to call us, we’re a tolerant society), is a delta country in Western Europe where over 17 million people speak the‘Dutch’ language.
More than one million people live in the capital of Holland called ‘Amsterdam’.  A fun fact: There are more than 18 million bicycles in Holland (more bikes than people) and some 35,000 km of bicycle lanes. Indeed: the Dutch are the world’s cycling leaders.

Dutch expertise

Holland is often associated with wooden shoes, tulips and windmills but offers a lot more than these historic icons. The Dutch are active worldwide in providing creative and sustainable solutions for global challenges related to water, food, energy, health, environment, and security.

For example, the Netherlands is the undisputed world leader in water management. It is home to the world’s ten best engineering firms for water projects. In the field of food security, Holland is the world’s 2nd largest exporter of agricultural products, after the US. Holland is also an attractive business location, situated well for logistics, with excellent infrastructure and with an internationally-oriented population.

Dutch expertise comes in various shapes and sizes, but is very result-driven, always geared towards finding real solutions for current and future challenges.

Key sectors

The Netherlands is one of the twenty largest economies in the world and is a leading global knowledge economy. Holland has a longstanding history of invention, moving around the oceans of the world, trading with other countries. In times of global, social and economic challenges, the Dutch find ways of how innovation and entrepreneurship can continue to grow.
In order to remain a leader in solving global challenges, the Dutch focus lies on measures for all businesses and nine key sectors in particular.  Explore the different sectors of the Dutch economy below, which provide general fact sheets and analyses.

• Agriculture and food
  

  The Netherlands is one of the world's largest exporters of agricultural and food products, thanks to its innovative agrifood technology. The Dutch agrifood sector is a sustainable source of healthy, safe food that is produced with respect for nature and the environment.
  
  
  

• Creative industries
  

  The Dutch creative industry is currently gaining considerable international acclaim and has a particularly strong reputation in interior design, gaming, fashion, and architecture. Creative companies develop exiting new ideas, products, services, systems, strategies and work methods. Creative companies are able to look at complex issues and social issues in new and refreshing ways. This allows creative businesses to develop high-quality innovations of controversial and popular products and services.
  
  
  

• Chemical industry

  Holland is one of Europe's leading suppliers of chemical products and services. Important raw materials are available or easy to supply while an extensive transportation network provides access to Europe and beyond.

• Energy

  The Netherlands has a strong standing in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency and a leading position in wind energy at sea, biomass processing and greenhouse farming. The energy sector contributes substantially to Dutch national income, exports and employment. The government has therefore opted for a modern industry policy aimed at making better use of the economic opportunities for both green and grey energy.

• High tech

  High tech industries in the Netherlands are among the most innovative in the world, thanks to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge research and development. Dutch technological know-how and products are much sought-after and are exported worldwide.

• Horticulture and starting materials

  The Dutch horticultural sector is a global trendsetter supplying markets all over the globe, as well as being a leading innovator in greenhouse technology. The Dutch horticulture sector is the undisputed international market leader in flowers, plants, bulbs and reproductive material and the number three exporter in nutritional horticulture products. It forms the heart of an international network for floriculture, bulbs, and decorative trees as well as fruit and vegetables.

• Logistics

  The transportation of goods around the globe increases in volume and distance every single day. Holland plays a key role in the global market because of its well-structured logistics.

• Water

  The Netherlands is a world leader in managing water. Over the decades, the Dutch have mastered the art of flood protection and water supply and treatment. As maritime engineers, we also excel in shipbuilding, from utility vessels to super yachts. Dutch maritime expertise is in demand worldwide. We are a major supplier of sustainable systems for the production and supply of water and for the collection, treatment and partial reintroduction of "used" water into the system.
  The Dutch water sector includes several large engineering firms with global operations. Platforms such as the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) promote international cooperation. The water sector is strongly focused on exports and continuous innovation.

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