Key figures by sector; National Accounts

Table explanation

Description topics

Total domestic sectors

The domestic sectors consist of non-financial corporations, financial corporations, general government, households and non-profit institutions (NPI) serving households. The breakdown into institutional sectors is based on international rules.

Gross domestic product

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a quantity that expresses the size of an economy. The volume change of GDP during a reference period expresses the growth or shrinkage of the economy. Gross domestic product at market prices is the final result of the production activity of resident producer units. It can be defined in three ways:

- production approach: GDP is the sum of gross value added of the various institutional sectors or the various industries plus taxes and less subsidies on products (which are not allocated to sectors and industries). It is also the balancing item in the total economy production account;
- expenditure approach: GDP is the sum of final uses of goods and services by resident institutional units (final consumption and gross capital formation), plus exports and minus imports of goods and services;
- income approach: GDP is the sum of uses in the total economy generation of income account (compensation of employees, taxes on production and imports less subsidies, gross operating surplus and mixed income of the total economy).

Net domestic product at market prices (NDP) can be obtained by deducting consumption of fixed capital from GDP.

Consumption of fixed capital

The decline in value of fixed assets owned, as a result of normal wear and tear and obsolescence.

For the estimation of the consumption of fixed capital the perpetual inventory method (PIM) is applied. The capital stock at the beginning of the year is brought to replacement value because of price changes. The fixed capital formation during the year is added to this capital stock. Next it is diminished with the value of capital goods discarded. This gives to value of capital stock at the end of the year. The consumption of fixed obtained by applying a depreciation percentage.
This method may differ considerably from the method used to calculate depreciation in business accounts, which is based on historical costs or fiscal life span.

Gross operating surplus and mixed income

The surplus that remains after compensation of employees and taxes less subsidies on production and imports have been subtracted from the sum of value added at basic prices. For the self-employed (who are part of the sector households) the surplus is called mixed income, it is partly a reward for their entrepreneurship compensation for their labour.

In the system of national accounts 'gross' means that consumption of fixed capital (depreciation) has not been subtracted. When it has, 'net' is used. Depreciation must be paid for from the gross operating surplus.

Gross national income

Total primary income received by resident institutional units: compensation of employees, net operating surplus / mixed income, net property income and net taxes on production and imports less subsidies. Incomes flowing from one domestic sector to another have no effect on net national income. Gross national income (at market prices) equals GDP minus primary income paid by resident institutional units to non-resident institutional units plus primary income received by resident institutional units from the rest of the world. The division of payments by member states to the European Union is largely based upon differences in gross national income.

National income is not a production concept but an income concept, which is more significant if expressed in net terms, i.e. after deduction of consumption of fixed capital.

Gross disposable national income

The sum of the net disposable incomes of the institutional sectors. Gross national disposable income equals gross national income (at market prices) minus current transfers (current taxes on income, wealth et cetera, social contributions, social benefits and other current transfers) paid to non-resident units, plus current transfers received by resident units from the rest of the world. Because disposable national income is not a production concept but an income concept, it is usually expressed in net terms, i.e. after deduction of consumption of fixed capital.

Gross national saving

The portion of national disposable income that has not been used for final consumption expenditure. This equals is the sum of the net saving of the various institutional sectors. It is usually expressed in net terms, i.e. after deduction of consumption of fixed capital.

Gross fixed capital formation

Expenditure on produced assets that are used in a production process for more than one year. This may concern a building, dwelling, transport equipment or a machine. This in contrast with goods and services which are used up during the production process, the so-called intermediate use (e.g. iron ore). Fixed capital does lose value over time as a result of normal wear and tear and obsolescence. This is called consumption of fixed capital (also called depreciation). The value of fixed capital formation in which the consumption of fixed capital is not deducted is called gross fixed capital formation. Deduction of the consumption of fixed capital results in net fixed capital formation.

The following types of fixed assets exist: dwellings and other buildings and structures, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, weapon systems (included in machinery and equipment), computers, software, telecommunication equipment, research and development, cultivated biological resources, mineral exploration and evaluation, and costs of ownership transfer on non-produced assets, like land, contracts, leases and licences.

Net lending (+) or net borrowing (-)

The national financing balance (net lending or net borrowing) is the balance of resources and expenditure on the current account and the capital account of the joint domestic sectors. In the financial account the balance gives the amount new loans are entered into with financial assets abroad and/or are sold (at a deficit) or for any amount to be repaid debts abroad and/or financial assets are purchased (at a surplus). In theory net lending or borrowing equals the change in assets less liabilities. In practice a statistical difference between the two remains.

Net lending to private sector

The difference between borrowed short-term and long-term credits and repayment of the non-financial corporations and households to other monetary financial institutions and other financial intermediaries in a period. Price changes of debt securities are not included. Liabilities are consolidated, which means within sector liabilities are excluded.
Net lending to private sector is an indicator on the Macroeconomic scoreboard, and as such part of the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure (MIP). Therefore net lending to private sector is calculated as an percentage of GDP.
The European Commission uses + 14% as an upper limit for the indicator.
The net lending to private sector per quarter as a percentage of GDP is a moving annual total. It is calculated as the total net lending to private sector for the quarterly report plus the previous three quarters, divided by the GDP in the quarterly report plus the previous three quarters. The figure for the fourth quarter is equal to the annual figure.

Lending to private sector, end of period

Total of short-term and long-term loans by other monetary financial institutions and other financial intermediaries to the non-financial corporations and households at the end of the period concerned.