Government Finance Statistics; key figures 1995-2017
Explanation of symbols
Table explanation
This table contains information on the finances of the general government sector. The terms and definitions used are in accordance with the framework of the National Accounts. The National Accounts are based on the international definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). In some cases the terms from the National Accounts are replaced by everyday descriptions of revenue and expenditure transactions. In these cases the corresponding term from the National Accounts is given in the explanation. Small temporary differences with publications of the National Accounts may occur due to the fact that the government finance statistics are sometimes more up to date.
Data available from:
Yearly figures from 1995 to 2017, quarterly figures from 1999 to 2017.
Status of the figures:
The figures for the periode 1995-2014 are definite. The quartely figures for 2015 are provisional. The annual figures for 2015 are definite. The figures for 2016 and 2017 are provisional.
Because this table is discontinued, figures will not be updated anymore.
Changes as of 22 June 2018:
None, this table is discontinued.
When will new figures be published?
Not applicable anymore.
This table is replaced by table Government Finance Statistics; key figures. See paragraph 3.
Description topics
- Key figures (million euros)
- Some important figures on government finance statistics.
- Revenue
- Revenue of the general government sector.
- Total revenue
- Revenue of the general government sector.
- Taxes
- Compulsory payments, without a direct good or service provided in return, imposed by units of the general government sector or institutions of the European Union or by foreign governments.
Taxes are divided into:
- taxes on production and imports;
- current taxes on income and wealth
- capital taxes.
- Social security contributions
- Contributions paid by households to the sector social security funds in order to finance social security benefits.
- Sales of goods and services
- Proceeds of goods and services delivered by the sector general government sector.
This corresponds to the term Market output as used in the national accounts.
- Other
- Other revenues of the general government sector. E.g. interest receivable and dividends, current transfers and capital transfers receivable.
- Expenditure
- Expenditure of the general government sector.
- Total expenditure
- Expenditure of the general government sector.
- Compensation of employees
- Remuneration paid by employers to their employees in return for work done. Employees are all residents and non-residents working in a paid job. It includes remuneration of people working in sheltered workplaces.
Compensation of employees is classified into:
- wages and salaries;
- employers' social contributions.
- Use of goods and services
- Goods and services used as inputs in a production process, which are transformed into new products at the end of the process, e.g. raw materials, semi-manufactured goods, services of accountants or cleaners, telephone costs.
This corresponds to the term 'intermediate consumption' as used in the national accounts.
- Social benefits
- Social benefits in cash or in kind, awarded to households to relieve the financial burden that result from certain risks and needs (such as illness, invalidity, disability, age, surviving relatives and unemployment).
Social benefits are divided into social benefits in cash and social benefits in kind.
- Gross fixed capital formation
- Expenditure for produced tangible or intangible assets that are used in the production process for more than one year.
Fixed capital formation also includes:
- work in progress of construction, e.g. unfinished dwellings, non-residential buildings and civil engineering works are recorded as fixed capital formation of the client.
- military structures and equipment, similar to those used by civilian producers, such as airfields and hospitals.
- weapon systems.
- expenditure on research and development.
- expenditure on computer software and databases.
- improvements to existing fixed assets that go well beyond the requirements of ordinary maintenance and repairs.
- transfer costs of fixed assets, e.g. conveyance fees and costs made by real estate agents, architects and notaries.
- Other
- Other expenditure of the sector general government. E.g. paid interest, paid current transfers and capital transfers.
- Balance of the general government sector
- Balance between revenue and expenditure of the general government sector. In the national accounts this equals net lending/net borrowing of the general government sector. The balance of the general government sector is often presented as percentage of GDP.
The balance of the general government sector (or EMU-balance) is an element of the Stability and Growth Pact. A positive figure indicates a surplus, a negative figure indicates a deficit.
- Government debt (EMU)
- The consolidated debt of the general government sector (valued at face value) excluding other accounts payable and debt on financial derivatives. Consolidated means that debt relations within the government have been eliminated. Government debt is often presented as percentage of GDP.
Due to the difference in method of valuation, the sum of debt instruments (face value) is not equal to the sum of debt instruments in the national accounts (market value). The debt according to the EMU-definition consists of the following debt instruments: deposits, short term debt securities, long term debt securities, short term loans and long term loans. The government debt (or EMU-debt) is one of the elements of the Stability and Growth Pact.
- Final consumption of general government
- Expenditure incurred by the general government sector on goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual needs or wants or the collective needs of members of the community.
Final consumption expenditure by general government includes two categories of expenditures:
(a) the value of the goods and services produced by general government itself other than own-account capital formation, market output and payments for non-market output or sales of goods and services. Consumption of typical services of government, like defence, safety and education, belong to this category;
(b) purchases by general government of goods and services produced by market producers that are supplied to households, without any transformation, as social transfers in kind. General government pays for these goods and services that the sellers provide to households.
- Key figures (% of GDP)
- Some important figures on government finance statistics as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The gross domestic product (market value) is the result of the productive activities of residential production units. It equals to the added value (basic prices) of all industries, completed with some transactions that cannot be attributed to industries.- Revenue
- Revenue of the general government sector.
- Total revenue
- Revenue of the general government sector.
- Taxes
- Compulsory payments, without a direct good or service provided in return, imposed by units of the general government sector or institutions of the European Union or by foreign governments.
Taxes are divided into:
- taxes on production and imports;
- current taxes on income and wealth
- capital taxes.
- Social security contributions
- Contributions paid by households to the sector social security funds in order to finance social security benefits.
- Sales of goods and services
- Proceeds of goods and services delivered by the general government sector.
This corresponds to the term Market output as used in the national accounts.
- Other
- Other revenues of the general government sector. E.g. interest receivable and dividends, current transfers and capital transfers receivable.
- Expenditure
- Expenditure of the general government sector.
- Total expenditure
- Expenditure of the general government sector.
- Compensation of employees
- Remuneration paid by employers to their employees in return for work done. Employees are all residents and non-residents working in a paid job. It includes remuneration of people working in sheltered workplaces.
Compensation of employees is classified into:
- wages and salaries;
- employers' social contributions.
- Use of goods and services
- Goods and services used as inputs in a production process, which are transformed into new products at the end of the process, e.g. raw materials, semi-manufactured goods, services of accountants or cleaners, telephone costs.
This corresponds to the term 'intermediate consumption' as used in the national accounts.
- Social benefits
- Social benefits in cash or in kind, awarded to households to relieve the financial burden that result from certain risks and needs (such as illness, invalidity, disability, age, surviving relatives and unemployment).
Social benefits are divided into social benefits in cash and social benefits in kind.
- Gross fixed capital formation
- Expenditure for produced tangible or intangible assets that are used in the production process for more than one year.
Fixed capital formation also includes:
- work in progress of construction, e.g. unfinished dwellings, non-residential buildings and civil engineering works are recorded as fixed capital formation of the client.
- military structures and equipment, similar to those used by civilian producers, such as airfields and hospitals.
- weapon systems.
- expenditure on research and development.
- expenditure on computer software and databases.
- improvements to existing fixed assets that go well beyond the requirements of ordinary maintenance and repairs.
- transfer costs of fixed assets, e.g. conveyance fees and costs made by real estate agents, architects and notaries.
- Other
- Other expenditure of the sector general government. E.g. paid interest, paid current transfers and capital transfers.
- Balance of the general government sector
- Balance between revenue and expenditure of the general government sector, presented as percentage of GDP. In the national accounts this equals net lending/net borrowing of the general government sector.
The balance of the general government sector (or EMU-balance) is an element of the Stability and Growth Pact. A positive figure indicates a surplus, a negative figure indicates a deficit.
Quarterly balance of the general government sector as a percentage of GDP is a progressive yearly total. It is calculated as the sum of the balance of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters, divided by the sum of GDP of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters. The figure for the fourth quarter equals the yearly figure.
- Government debt (EMU)
- The consolidated debt of the general government sector (valued at face value) excluding other accounts payable and debt on financial derivatives, presented as percentage of GDP. Consolidated means that debt relations within the government have been eliminated.
Due to the difference in method of valuation, the sum of debt instruments (face value) is not equal to the sum of debt instruments in the national accounts (market value). The debt according to the EMU-definition consists of the following debt instruments: deposits, short term debt securities, long term debt securities, short term loans and long term loans. The government debt (or EMU-debt) is one of the elements of the Stability and Growth Pact.
Quarterly government debt as a percentage of GDP is calculated as the debt at the end of the quarter divided by the sum of GDP of the quarter considered plus three preceding quarters. The figure for the fourth quarter equals the yearly figure.
- Final consumption of general government
- Expenditure incurred by the general government sector on goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual needs or wants or the collective needs of members of the community.
Final consumption expenditure by sector government includes two categories of expenditures:
(a) the value of the goods and services produced by general government itself other than own-account capital formation, market output and payments for non-market output or sales of goods and services. Consumption of typical services of government, like defence, safety and education, belong to this category;
(b) purchases by general government of goods and services produced by market producers that are supplied to households, without any transformation, as social transfers in kind. General government pays for these goods and services that the sellers provide to households.
- Tax burden
- The total revenue from taxes and compulsory social contributions as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
The tax burden is calculated as the sum of taxes and compulsory social contributions received by government. Here are also included payments of taxes and contributions by non-residents to the Dutch government.
- Final consumption, volume changes
- The annual growth of consumption expenditure of the general government sector (i.e. the annual growth in constant prices).
Final consumption of the general government sector is the expenditure incurred by the sector general government on goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual needs or wants or the collective needs of members of the community. - Labour input
- Labour input of employees (1,000 fte jobs). The amount of labour by employees that is used in a certain period. Labour input can be measured in jobs, fte jobs or hours worked. Employees are persons who carry out work during a certain period in return for wages or salary, in cash or in kind.