Business confidence in the Dutch manufacturing sector rose to 3.7 in August 2026 from 2.4 in July, reaching its strongest reading since July 2022. Sentiment improved as expectations for business activity strengthened to 17.4 from 13.5, while order book assessments improved to -3.2 from -3.8. Meanwhile, inventory assessments edged lower to -3.1 from -2.4, indicating slightly less favorable views of stock levels. Across sectors, sentiment improved notably in food and beverages (1.4 vs. -1.9), wood and building materials (1.6 vs. -3.4), and paper and graphic products (3.2 vs. 1.4). Confidence also strengthened in refining and chemicals (0.1 vs. -2.4) and remained broadly stable in electrical engineering and machinery (15.9 vs. 15.6), while sentiment deteriorated in transport equipment (-0.7 vs. 2.4) and other manufacturing and repair (-3.1 vs. 0.0). source: Statistics Netherlands

Business Confidence in Netherlands increased to 3.70 points in August from 2.40 points in July of 2026. Business Confidence in Netherlands averaged -1.73 points from 1985 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 10.50 points in October of 2021 and a record low of -31.50 points in April of 2020. This page provides - Netherlands Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Netherlands Business Confidence - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on September of 2026.

Business Confidence in Netherlands increased to 3.70 points in August from 2.40 points in July of 2026. Business Confidence in Netherlands is expected to be -1.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Netherlands Business Confidence is projected to trend around 1.00 points in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-07-31 04:20 AM
Business Confidence
Jul 2.4 1.3 1
2026-08-28 04:30 AM
Business Confidence
Aug 3.7 2.4 2.8
2026-09-30 04:30 AM
Business Confidence
Sep 3.7 -1


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 282.00 383.00 Companies Jul 2026
Business Confidence 3.70 2.40 points Aug 2026
Capacity Utilization 78.20 78.60 percent Sep 2026
Changes in Inventories -554.00 -426.00 EUR Million Mar 2026
Industrial Production 3.10 5.90 percent Jun 2026
Industrial Production Mom -1.60 1.00 percent Jun 2026
Manufacturing Production YoY 4.60 6.80 percent Jun 2026
Manufacturing Production MoM -1.30 1.10 percent Jun 2026
Mining Production -23.80 3.10 percent Jun 2026


Netherlands Business Confidence
In Netherlands, the producer confidence survey covers 1,700 manufacturing companies and gathers up-to-date information on economic developments for all activities of the manufacturing industry. The survey covers three components: how companies evaluate their order positions, their stocks of finished products in the month under review and the anticipated economic activity for the next three months. The index is calculated as the percentage of positive answers minus the percentage of negative answers. Therefore, the indicator varies from -100 (all participants evaluate their situation as poor and expect it to become worse) to 100 (all companies are happy with current situation and expect it to improve); 0 indicates neutrality.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3.70 2.40 10.50 -31.50 1985 - 2026 points Monthly

News Stream
Dutch Business Confidence Strongest Since 2022
Business confidence in the Dutch manufacturing sector rose to 3.7 in August 2026 from 2.4 in July, reaching its strongest reading since July 2022. Sentiment improved as expectations for business activity strengthened to 17.4 from 13.5, while order book assessments improved to -3.2 from -3.8. Meanwhile, inventory assessments edged lower to -3.1 from -2.4, indicating slightly less favorable views of stock levels. Across sectors, sentiment improved notably in food and beverages (1.4 vs. -1.9), wood and building materials (1.6 vs. -3.4), and paper and graphic products (3.2 vs. 1.4). Confidence also strengthened in refining and chemicals (0.1 vs. -2.4) and remained broadly stable in electrical engineering and machinery (15.9 vs. 15.6), while sentiment deteriorated in transport equipment (-0.7 vs. 2.4) and other manufacturing and repair (-3.1 vs. 0.0).
2026-08-28
Dutch Manufacturing Confidence at 4-Year High
Business confidence in the Dutch manufacturing sector rose to 2.4 in July 2026, the highest level in four years, from 1.3 in the previous month. Sentiment improved as order book assessments rose to -3.8 from -7.0, while inventory assessments strengthened to -2.4 from -3.5 in June. Meanwhile, expectations for business activity became less optimistic, falling to 13.5 from 14.5, though they continued to signal a positive near-term production outlook. Across sectors, sentiment improved broadly, with gains recorded in wood and building materials (-3.4 vs. -6.5) and base metal and metal products (-3.0 vs. -3.3). Sentiment also turned positive in paper and graphic products (1.4 vs. -6.5) and strengthened further in electrical engineering and machinery (15.6 vs. 9.7).
2026-07-31
Dutch Manufacturing Confidence Hits Near 3-Year High
Business confidence in the Dutch manufacturing sector rose to 1.3 in June 2026, rebounding from -2.0 in the previous month. This marked the strongest reading since August 2022, as expectations for business activity became more optimistic, rising to 14.5 from 4.6, signaling a stronger near-term production outlook, while inventory assessments increased to -3.5 from -5.2. On the other hand, order book assessments deteriorated to -7.0 from -5.6 in May. Across sectors, sentiment improved broadly, with gains in food and beverages (-1.7 vs -3.0), textiles, clothing, and leather (-2.4 vs -2.9), and refineries and chemicals (-1.9 vs -3.7), while base metals and metal products (3.3 vs -4.1) and electrical engineering and machinery (9.7 vs -0.9) returned to positive territory.
2026-06-29