Dutch Consumer Mood Weakest in Over 3 Years

Consumer confidence in the Netherlands improved to -35 in July 2026 from -39 in June, marking a further recovery but remaining well below its long-term average of -11 over the past 20 years. The improvement was mainly driven by a less negative assessment of the economic climate, which rose to -59 from -64, as consumers became more optimistic about both the economic situation over the past 12 months and expectations for the year ahead. Willingness to buy also strengthened to -19 from -22, supported by improved views of household finances and a more favorable assessment of major purchases. The assessment of the financial situation over the past year improved to -15 from -16, while expectations for the next 12 months rose to -2 from -6. The view on the timing for major purchases increased to -40 from -44. Despite the improvement, confidence remained below its long-term average and far below the record high of +36 reached in January 2000.

Consumer confidence in the Netherlands rose to -39 in June 2026 from -46 in May, though sentiment remained deeply negative and well below its long-term average of -11. The improvement was attributed to less pessimistic assessments of the economic climate, which rose to -64 from -72. Willingness to buy also strengthened to -22 from -28. Views on the economic situation over the past 12 months likewise improved to -69 from -75, while expectations for the next 12 months became less negative at -60 from -69. Households’ financial situation showed further improvement, with the assessment of the past 12 months rising to -16 from -22 and expectations for the year ahead improving sharply to -6 from -17. However, perceptions of the timing for major purchases were broadly stable at -44 versus -45 in May.

Consumer confidence in the Netherlands fell further to -46 in May 2026 from -44 in April, marking the weakest reading since January 2023 and well below its long-term average of -11. The deterioration was mainly driven by a drop in willingness to buy, which slipped to -28 from -26. Perceptions of the economic situation over the past 12 months also worsened to -75 from -72, while expectations for the next 12 months improved slightly to -69 from -71. Households’ view of the broader economic climate remained broadly unchanged at -72, still deeply negative and reflecting persistently pessimistic sentiment about both current conditions and the outlook. Financial sentiment weakened further, with assessments of the past 12 months falling to -22 from -18 and expectations for the coming year edging down to -17 from -15. Willingness to make large purchases also deteriorated to -45 from -43, underscoring continued caution among consumers.