Regional economic growth, 2014

Economic developments

Excluding the sector mineral extraction, all Dutch provinces showed economic growth in 2014. The province of Friesland had the smallest growth rate (0.3 percent). Flevoland, on the other hand, performed remarkably well: the year-on-year economic growth rate went from -1.5 percent in 2013 to +2.2 percent in 2014. The big number of car lease companies in this province largely accounts for the high growth rate. With 1.7 percent, the growth rate in the province of Groningen was marginally above the nationwide average. Including mineral extraction, the GRP (gross regional product) in Groningen dropped substantially, by 8.8 percent. The region 'Overig Groningen' suffered severely as a result of the reduced extraction of natural gas. The economic growth rate plunged more than 10 percent. To facilitate comparison and prevent the figures from being distorted by the reduction in natural gas extraction, regional data are presented excluding the sector mineral extraction.

Per capita GDP

In 2014 the per capita GDP in the Netherlands stood at 38 thousand euros. In the provinces of North Holland, Utrecht, North Brabant and South Holland GRP per capita was above the nationwide average. With approximately 25 thousand euros, the northern provinces of Friesland and Drenthe had the lowest GRP per capita.
GDP per capita in the Netherlands has risen by more than 3.7 percent over the period 2010-2014. Broken down by province, North Brabant showed the highest growth rate (6.3 percent). With 1.9 percent, Flevoland accounted for the lowest growth rate. Surprisingly, the province of Drenthe still had the lowest GRP per capita in 2014 despite robust growth in the period 2010-2014 (5.7 percent). In the wealthy provinces of Utrecht and South Holland GRP growth per capita was also below the national average. In the province of Groningen the GRP growth rate per capita was 3 percent, but including the sector mineral extraction it was 0.6 percent down over the same period. As stated above, natural gas consumption is of vital importance for Groningen's economy.

Production structure provinces

The services sector is crucial for the Dutch economy. Together, all services accounted for 76 percent of value added in 2014. In the provinces of North Holland and Utrecht banks and financial institutions are overrepresented in commercial services, but industrial activities are at a relatively low level in these provinces. In Groningen, for example, industry accounts for more than 52 percent of value added. Excluding mineral extraction value added is reduced by half. The share of Groningen in commercial services is only half of that generated in the province of Gelderland. There are differences in the production structure of the various Dutch provinces but little has changed over the years.