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Country Commercial Guides FY 2000: Netherlands Report prepared by U.S. Embassy The Hague, released July 1999 Note*

CHAPTER X. ECONOMIC AND TRADE STATISTICS

Appendix A - Country Data

A. Population: 15.7 million
B. Population
Growth Rate: 0.56 percent
C. Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, significant Muslim and Jewish minorities
D. Government: Constitutional Monarchy with Parliament Head of State: Queen Beatrix
Head of Government: Prime Minister Wim Kok
E. Languages: Dutch; English frequently used in business

Appendix B - Domestic Economy

	
				1997	      1998	   1999(E)

A.  GDP (current $b)		358.1	      378.4	   391.2

B.  Real GDP Growth Rate(%)	 +3.6          +3.7	     +2.0
C.  GDP Per Capita ($)	     23,102.0      24,257.0      24,918.0
D.  Govt. Spending (% of GDP)	 51.4          50.3          51.1
E.  Inflation (% change in CPI)   2.2	  	2.0	      1.75
F.  Unemployment (%)		  6.6		5.2	      4.75
G.  Foreign Exch. Res.($b)	 31.2          26.7 	      N/A
(including gold)
H.  Av. Ann. Exch. Rate		  1.95	        1.98	      1.90
($1 = Guilder)

Appendix C - Trade

A.  Total Exports (f.o.b./$b)	   200.4	209.5	  206.6
B.  Total Imports (c.i.f./$b)	   179.2	184.7	  183.1
C.  U.S. Exports  (f.a.s./$b)	    19.8	 19.0	   21.0
D.  U.S. Imports (customs/$b)	     7.3	  7.5	    8.0

Appendix D - Investment Statistics

A. Foreign Ownership Restrictions: None.
B. U.S. Direct Investment in the Netherlands:(end-1997) $64.6 billion
C. U.S. Share of Foreign Investment: 23 percent
D. Principal Foreign Investors: U.S., Germany, Belgium/Luxembourg, UK
E. Dutch Direct Investment in the U.S.: (end-1997) $84.9 billion
F. Major U.S. Investors in the Netherlands: Amgen, Dow Chemical, Du Pont de Nemours, Cargill, Eastman Chemicals, General Electric Plastics, IAMS, Philip Morris, Packard Bell, Mobil Chemical Company.

Note: To facilitate comparability, all guilder figures have been converted into U.S. Dollars using a 1998 guilder/dollar exchange rate of 1.98 guilders to the dollar.

Sources: Central Planning Bureau (CPB), 1999 Budget Memorandum, Netherlands Central Bank (NB), U.S. department of Commerce Trade and Investment Statistics.