- 97% of Dutch firms report they were investing in 2024, above EU average of 87%.
- Businesses in the Netherlands are far ahead of overall European levels in terms of innovation and adoption of advanced digital technologies.
- Share of Dutch firms prioritising development or introduction of new products and services is nearly double the bloc’s average.
Almost all Dutch firms (97%) reported that they were actively investing in 2024, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Investment Survey country results released today. The figure is 10 percentage points higher than the EU average. The survey results for the Netherlands also show some of the highest adoption rates across all types of digital technologies, compared to the European Union average. In this field the Netherlands are far ahead of the bloc’s average, with an adoption rate of 90% compared with an overall EU figure of 74%.
The EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms across all EU member states, with an additional sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October, showing that EU businesses lead way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.
The detailed country reports for individual member states are released today . When it comes to the Netherlands, key takeaways include:
- Together with Luxembourg, the Netherlands leads the way in terms of share of firms’ investment devoted to intangible assets like software, data and website activities.
- The Netherlands stands out with a strong focus on investment in new products and services (44% vs. EU average of 25%).
- Around six out of every ten Dutch businesses invested in energy efficiency improvements.
The Netherlands has one of the highest levels of digital technology adoption among EU countries.” EIB Group Chief Economist Debora Revoltella said. “Looking ahead, although the Netherlands is ahead of the pack in terms of investing in innovation, many Dutch firms still expect to prioritise replacement investment over expansion.”
The full country report about the Netherlands is available here.
Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.
The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe's policies, including industrial decarbonization, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
In 2024, the EIB Group reached a funding volume of €3.1 billion in the Netherlands, focusing on countercyclical investment promotion in energy-intensive industries such as steel production.