Joris M. VOS
chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia P. SCHNEIDER
embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague
mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715
consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top),
white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a
lighter blue and is longer

Economy

Economy--overview: This prosperous and open economy is based on
private enterprise with the government's presence felt in many
aspects of the economy. Industrial activity features food
processing, petroleum refining, and metalworking. The highly
mechanized agricultural sector employs only 4% of the labor force,
but provides large surpluses for export and the domestic
food-processing industry. As a result, the Netherlands ranks third
worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and
France. Sharp cuts in subsidy and social security spending since the
1980s helped the Dutch achieve sustained economic growth combined
with falling unemployment and moderate inflation. The economy
achieved a strong 3.7% growth in 1998; a dip in the business cycle
probably will cause the economy to decelerate to slightly over 2%
growth in 1999. Unemployment in 1999 is expected to be less than 5%
of the labor force, and inflation probably will decline. The Dutch
joined the first wave of 11 EU countries launching the euro system
on 1 January 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$348.6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 3.7% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,200 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 27.5%
services: 69.3% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 24.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1998)

Labor force: 7 million (1998 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: services 73%, manufacturing and
construction 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.1% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $163 billion
expenditures: $170 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products,
electrical machi