Netherlands
| Population | 16.4 m |
| Capital | Amsterdam |
| Surface area | 33,800 km2 |
| Official Language | Dutch, and Frisian in the province of Friesland |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 515 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 4.6 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 135.0 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.953 |
| World rank in HDI | 9/177 |
| Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (71.4); industry (25.9); agriculture (2.7) |
| Leading Companies | Unilever (Dutch/British consumer goods firm); ING (life insurance) |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 4.0% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations (% of over 12s) | Roman Catholic (30); Dutch Reformed (11); Calvinist (6) |
| Political system | A constitutional monarchy, in which the central legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Parliament. The First Chamber of these is elected by the members of the provincial states; the Second Chamber is directly elected. |
| Electoral system | Proportional representation for the Second Chamber. Members are elected for four-year terms. |
| Current leaders | Prime minister: Jan Peter Balkenende (b. 1956), since July 2002 |
| Previous leaders: | Prime ministers: Willen Kok (1994-2002); Rudolphus Frans Marie Lubber (1982-94); Andreas Maria van Agt (1977-82) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 1957 (founder member) |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) |
| Number of MEPs | 26/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 36.9 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (founder member) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com