While everyone talks about the U.S. national debt, what about the situation in the Netherlands? The Dutch national debt is also rising again this year, after a slight decrease last year. The Ministry of Finance anticipates a deficit of €25 billion in 2025. This means that every Dutch resident and household is now saddled with a considerable share of the debt.
The Dutch National Debt #
Governments always have ambitions, but they usually run short on funds. In the annual budget, this is called the budget deficit. To fill this gap, the government borrows money (in the form of bonds), which adds to the national debt. The government pays interest on this debt, in addition to the principal that must be repaid later.
According to figures from the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS), the Dutch national debt grew by €1 billion in the first half of 2025, bringing the total debt to €492 billion. This is equivalent to 42.7% of the Netherlands’ gross domestic product (GDP); almost half of what the country earns collectively in a year.
While this is a significant amount, the Dutch national debt is relatively low compared to other countries. For instance, the U.S. national debt, at over $37 trillion, represents about 120% of American GDP. The European average is also higher than in the Netherlands, at around 89% of GDP.
Per Capita and Per Household #
So, relatively speaking, the Netherlands seems to be in a good position. Nevertheless, the amounts involved are substantial. This becomes clear when you calculate the national debt per person or per household.
With a total population of 18 million (18,130,857), a debt of €492 billion translates to €27,136 of national debt per Dutch resident. This includes children, seniors, the long-term ill, and so on.
If we divide the amount only among the 9.8 million working Dutch citizens, the figure is much higher: €50,204 per working person—more than a median annual salary.
If the debt is distributed among households, of which there are about 8.4 million in the Netherlands, each household owes roughly €58,571.
This is not as high as the approximately €283,000 that U.S. taxpayers owe per person, or €95,000 per American citizen, but it is still a sobering figure.
Concerns About Financial Instability #
Whether this debt will ever be fully repaid remains to be seen. Historically, national debts sometimes decline briefly but tend to rise over the long term. After all, governments continuously come up with new plans that require more funding.
As a result of the seemingly endless growth of the global debt mountain, there are growing concerns about the stability and sustainability of the traditional financial system. An increasing number of people and companies are therefore choosing, as a precaution, for gold or bitcoin.