Economic growth down in nearly all regions

• Poorest results in North Brabant and Limburg
• Economic growth in four major cities above average
  

Economic growth slowed down in nearly all Dutch provinces last year. Growth in the Randstad provinces was at or above the nationwide average of 2 percent. The province of Limburg recorded the lowest growth figure. According to the latest figures published by Statistics Netherlands, economic growth in the province of Flevoland slowed down most dramaticlly.

In 2008, the first signs of the recession became manifest. With an economic growth of 1 and 0.7 percent respectively, North Brabant and Limburg were hit hardest. This is mainly caused by the relatively high level of industrial activity in these provinces. Manufacturing industry is the first sector to suffer the consequences of the economic crunch. Growth in the sector road haulage, which is prominent in North Brabant and Limburg, also stalled.

Economic growth was higher in the four major Dutch cities than in the Netherlands as a whole. Relative to 2007, Rotterdam suffered most on account of the recession, as harbour activities declined. Amsterdam achieved the best results, despite the severe downturn in aviation.