Netherlands
The Netherlands has established itself as a leading digital economy within the European Union, consistently ranking among the top performers in the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). As of 2022, the country ranked third, showcasing strong performance in human capital, connectivity, and digital public services. The country has a robust infrastructure and a highly skilled workforce that are essential for fostering a competitive digital economy.​ The Netherlands has a thriving e-commerce market, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% between 2024 and 2028, leading to a projected market volume of USD 29,616.5 million by 2028.
Internet governance
The Netherlands boasts a robust digital infrastructure characterized by reliable internet connectivity and extensive mobile device penetration. The government actively supports digital advancements, advocating for the growth of e-commerce and spearheading digital transformation strategies. Investments are targeted at cutting-edge fields such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and life sciences, reflecting a broad commitment to technological innovation.
In the realm of data protection, the Netherlands is particularly stringent. It adheres to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) through its own GDPR Implementation Act. The country’s constitution guarantees privacy rights under articles 10, 11, and 13, which safeguard personal privacy, bodily inviolacy, and the confidentiality of communications, respectively. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) oversees these regulations, with the possibility of appeals being handled by District Courts of First Instance or the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State.
Internet governance debate in the Netherlands is managed through a collaborative approach involving multiple stakeholders, including government bodies, private sector companies, and non-profit organisations. This approach is coordinated under the Netherlands Internet Governance Forum (NL IGF), which was established in 2011. The NL IGF is a consortium that includes the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, SIDN (the .nl domain registry), and ECP | Platform for the Information Society. This forum aims to enhance the visibility of internet governance issues within the Netherlands and elevate them on both national and political agendas.
The NL IGF focuses on a wide array of Internet-related themes, such as cybercrime, privacy, accessibility, human rights, and the implications of emerging technologies like the Internet of Things and cloud computing. It fosters an open, multistakeholder dialogue on these issues, aiming to develop balanced and widely supported internet policies. This setup reflects the global Internet Governance Forum’s (IGF) model, which operates under the auspices of the UN.
Dutch internet governance also involves engaging with international bodies and contributing to global discussions on internet governance through participation in events like the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
Digital strategies
The Netherlands has adopted several digital strategies in recent years to guide its digital transformation process.
- The Netherlands National Technology Strategy – The strategy identifies ten strategic technologies that have the potential to solve societal challenges, bolster national security, and influence the future of work and income levels in the Netherlands. These technologies have been selected for their potential to establish a distinct Dutch position globally and to make a significant positive impact through collaboration between the Dutch academic community and the business sector.
- The Netherlands Digital Economy Strategy outlines the main opportunities and risks of digitalization. The strategy emphasises the importance of digital solutions that benefit everyone, drive growth and support competitiveness and productivity, digital development that focuses on security, responsibility, and ethics, collaboration between the public and private sectors, public data as a common good, and shaping digital development globally.
- The Dutch Digitalisation Strategy 2.0 focuses on establishing strong foundations in areas like privacy, cybersecurity, digital literacy, and fair competition. Over the past year, the strategy has initiated various actions, including expanding the Netherlands’ role as a testing ground for new technologies, enhancing digital education, and promoting responsible technology use among children.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity in the Netherlands is a top priority for the government, with a strong focus on collaboration between public and private organizations.
- Establishing a National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), which officially started to function on 12 January 2012. The task of the NCSC is to define the measures and instruments required for implementing the NCCS and serving as a centre of expertise. The NCSC is part of the organization of the National Coordinator Fighting Terrorism and Security of the Department of Security and Justice. Fighting Cybercrime is an essential aspect of the NCSS.
- The Netherlands has adopted a National Cybersecurity Agenda, which outlines seven strategic ambitions to enhance the country’s digital capabilities and protect against cyber threats. These ambitions include having strong digital capabilities to detect, mitigate, and respond decisively to cyber threats; contributing to international peace and security in the digital domain; being at the forefront of digitally secure hardware and software; having resilient digital processes and a robust infrastructure; having successful barriers against cybercrime; leading the way in the field of cybersecurity knowledge development; and having an integrated and strong public-private approach to cybersecurity
- The Netherlands has adopted the Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2028, which aims to secure a digitally safe environment that allows the country to safely exploit digital opportunities while protecting security and public values. This strategy involves strengthening the digital security system, enhancing laws and regulations, and improving insight into threats to boost resilience​.
- The Netherlands also has an international Cyber Strategy 2023-2028 that extends the Netherlands’ cybersecurity focus beyond its borders, aiming to contribute to a secure, open, and free global cyber domain
- The Netherlands has ratified CoE Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)
AI strategies and policies
The country has released a nationwide AI strategy that aims to capitalize on societal and economic opportunities, create the right conditions for education and skills development, and strengthen the foundations for ethical, legal, and transparency aspects of AI. The plan also emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and the need for a robust AI infrastructure, with a particular focus on promoting public and private sector collaboration. This comprehensive strategy aims to position the Netherlands as a leader in responsible and sustainable AI development. The government also supports the establishment of an AI Competence Centre and invests in AI research through the Dutch Research Council.
A notable aspect of the Netherlands’ AI policy framework includes the participation in the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), which promotes the responsible development and use of AI while respecting human rights and fostering economic growth​​. Additionally, the country places a strong emphasis on creating legal and ethical frameworks for AI, as seen in initiatives like the Amsterdam AI register, which enhances transparency in how AI and algorithms are employed in public administration​​.
General profile
Official name: Kingdom of the Netherlands
National internet domain: NL
Area: 41,543 km2
Capital: Amsterdam
Population: 17.7 million
Population growth: 0.53
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.Life expectancy at birth: 81.41
Total years (2020year)Rule of law estimate: 1.74
Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate 2021)
Regulatory quality estimate: 1.75
Political stability: 0.92
Economic info
Currency: Euro
Unemployment: 3.7
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)GDP (current US$): 1 trillion
GDP growth (annual %): 4.3
GDP per capita (current US$): 58,061.00
Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 3.8
GNI (current US$): 1 trillion
The Gross National Income, GNI, formerly referred to as gross national product (GNP), measures the total domestic and foreign value added claimed by residents, at a given period in time, usually a year, expressed in current US dollars using the World Bank Atlas method. GNI comprises GDP plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from non-resident sources.Ease of doing business score: 76.1
The ease of doing business score benchmarked economies concerning their proximity to the best performance in each area measured by Doing Business for the year 2019. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from0 = lowest performance to 100 = best performance
Digital profile
Internet and social media penetration:
Individuals using the internet, total: 99
Social media statistics: 15 million
Estimate for 2024Male internet users: 99
Male internet users as a % of total male populationFacebook users: 8.05 million
Estimate for 2024Female internet users: 99
Female Internet users as a % of total female populationInstagram users: 8.15 million
Estimate for 2024Households with internet access at home: 95.6
Linkedin users: 12.00 million
Estimate for 2024Fixed broadband subscriptions: 44.7 (2022)
Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.Twitter users: 8.96 million
Estimate for 2024Mobile infrastructure and access:
Mobile ownership: 92.1
Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2022)Mobile Infrastructure: 91.55
Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2022)Male mobile ownership: 88 (2021)
Male mobile phone ownership as a % of total male populationMobile Affordability: 75.09
Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2022)Female mobile ownership: 88 (2021)
Female mobile phone ownership as a % of total female populationCybersecurity Index: 96.89
Cybersecurity Index (Estimate for 2021): ITU cybersecurity valueNetwork performance: 93.31
Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2022)Mobile download speeds: 97.56
Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2022)Mobile uploads speeds: 91.80
Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2022)Mobile Latencies: 90.57
Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2022)Speedtest-Broadband: 135.52
Speedtest-Broadband: The value is expressed in Mbps (Estimate for 2022)Network coverage: 99.4
Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2022)2G Coverage: 100.0
Coverage % of population3G Coverage: 99.5
Coverage % of population4G Coverage: 100.0
Coverage % of population5G Coverage: 97
Coverage % of populationOperating system and browser market share estimate:
Operating system market share (%):
Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024Browser market share (%):
Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024Android: 30.56
Chrome: 55.23
Win10: 35.79
Safari: 24.21
iOS: 21.26
Edge: 8.79
OS X: 8.7
Firefox: 3.79
Linux: 1.02
Samsung Internet: 4.84
The UN E-Government Survey 2022:
The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.E-Government Rank: 9
Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.E-Government Index: 0.94
The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.E-Participation Index: 0.97
The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Online Service Index: 0.9
The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Human Capital Index: 0.95
The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬_x0081_es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.96
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.ICT information:
ICT skills
Information economy indicators
Individuals with basic ICT skills (%): 89.3 (2020)
Share of ICT goods, % of total exports (value) 9.98 (2021)
Individuals with standard ICT skills (%): No data
Share of ICT goods, % of total import (value): 12.80 (2021)
Individuals with advanced ICT skills (%): 8.7 (2019)
Most visited website: wikipedia.org
The survey conducted in 2022 excluded global dominant sites (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, and Google) and search engines (e.g., Yahoo, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Naver, and Yandex) to level the playing field and discount middle-man visits. Likewise, it did not include adult, betting, illegal streaming/downloading services, and malicious websites.
