Dutch budget deficit rises to record eight billion euros

The Dutch budget deficit rose in January-June to eight billion euros from about five billion a year earlier. The figure has reached a record level, surpassing the level of the pandemic year 2021, according to data from the kingdom's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Government expenditures in this European country amounted to 273 billion euros during the reporting period, and revenues - 265 billion. Moreover, almost half of Amsterdam's spending in the first half of the year was on social payments, the volume of which increased by eight billion euros. The costs of maintaining the state apparatus also increased (by five percent, to 92 billion euros) and contributions to the EU budget (by approximately two billion euros).

Despite the budget deficit, the Dutch public debt has so far remained at the level of the end of 2025, amounting to 524 billion euros. CBS explained this by raising borrowed funds, part of which was used to finance expenses at the beginning of 2026.

The department also reported that the Netherlands' GDP grew quarter-on-quarter in April-June by 0.6 percent, and not by 0.4 percent, as was expected from the initial estimate. It is noted that the changes were facilitated primarily by higher export rates and increased household consumer spending.