Current account in Netherlands

The current account is the section of the balance of payments that records the Netherlands' transactions with the rest of the world in goods and services, primary income (labour and capital) and secondary income (current transfers). It is compiled by the statistics office (CBS).

It is the sum of the goods, services, primary income and secondary income balances, following the IMF methodology (BPM6). A positive figure is a current account surplus and a negative one a deficit; it equals the country's net lending or borrowing vis-à-vis the rest of the world.

The Netherlands traditionally runs a very large current account surplus, reflecting its powerful export sector and its role as a European trade hub. A solid surplus strengthens the country's net international position; a narrowing would signal a loss of competitiveness.

The figures are released with a lag of several weeks and are subject to revision as more complete information is incorporated. The large weight of multinationals and re-export flows can inflate the balances relative to purely domestic activity.