AMSTERDAM: The Dutch Water sector has, over a period of four years, seen its revenues increase by 10% to €21.3 billion. Most revenues are generated in the maritime subsector, which accounts for about 58% of the total turnover of the water sector, followed by the delta subsector (~27%). The industry, which is being lifted by international demand, provides jobs to around 86,000 people.
Water stands at the heart of a range of global needs, ranging from the need for drinking water and water for sanitary purposes, but also a range of global challenges such as urbanisation, food (to accommodate for population growth) and climate change.
Historically, the Netherlands, a country in Western Europe with a population of around 17 million, has a long and complex relationship with water. Large tracts of the country are ‘polders’, with human ingenuity, engineering feats and constant vigilance holding back the waves from the reclaimed land. Building on the connection, the Dutch have over the past decades grown into one of the globe’s leaders in water expertise, and today the country’s experts in the field not only keeps themselves busy with solving their own intricate water challenges, but also increasingly are taking the stage as an advisor on water matters to governments, corporates and institutions across the globe.
According to recent data from Ecorys, an international consulting firm, the Dutch water sector has seen solid growth in recent years. An analysis on the latest data available (2014) shows that the industry has hit a turnover of more than € 21 billion, about 10% more than in 2010. Around €7 billion stems from the export of knowledge and services to clients abroad – here too considerable growth has been realised compared to 2010. According to the data, the turnover of foreign workers (managed from the Netherlands) is included in the numbers, then the amount exported would approximately double.
With a value of €21.3 billion the water sector holds a mid-table position in the output of the Netherlands, yet it is described as one of “the most important” sectors by the researchers, as it has a strong coordinating role in various economic and social issues.
