These are the richest countries in the EU (and the Netherlands scores high again)

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The Netherlands is the fourth richest country in the European Union. This is evident from figures from Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Last week it also emerged that the Dutch have on average the highest financial buffer in the EU: 152,520 euros.

The richest countries in the EU

The Netherlands remains stuck in fourth place on the European list in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant, a measure of material prosperity in a country. According to Statistics Netherlands, GDP per inhabitant was almost 58,000 euros last year. That is one and a half times as much as the average in the European Union of almost 38,000 euros. To arrive at this figure, Statistics Netherlands divided the total size of the economy last year by the number of inhabitants.

The richest country is (again) Luxembourg. That country has had the highest GDP per capita in the EU for years. This is due to the relatively large number of financial institutions in the country. Relatively many people who do not live there also work in Luxembourg. In second place is Ireland, where many foreign multinationals are also located. Denmark is in third place, followed by the Netherlands. The top ten is completed by Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and France.

The lowest GDP per capita

Bulgaria has the lowest GDP per capita at almost 15,000 euros. This is more than 2.5 times lower than the EU average. Other countries that score poorly are Romania, Croatia, Poland and Hungary.

Statistics Netherlands does make a comment on the list: the differences in price levels can be large between countries. This means, for example, that people in the Netherlands can buy fewer goods than people in Bulgaria. If the price level is taken into account, the Netherlands moves up one spot in the rankings. The price level is lower in the Netherlands than in Denmark.

Statistics Netherlands previously indicated that the relatively high ranking of the Netherlands shows that our country is attractive as a location for companies. But according to a recent study by employers’ association VNO-NCW, the Netherlands has actually become much less attractive for business.