Photo: Traveler100 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 17 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Netherlands: Digital & Technology
How ready is a country to use, make and trade technology?
Netherlands is placed 15th of 198 countries on digital & technology in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: GovTech Maturity Index 0.816 (2025); Government AI Readiness Index 77.18 (2025).
Share
Digital & Technology
15th
of 198 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 0.816GovTech Maturity Index, 2025GTMI score (0–1)
- 77.18Government AI Readiness Index, 2025AI readiness score (0–100)
- 0.93Government Cyber Security Capacity, 2025Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
- 62.13Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports, 2024Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Netherlands on digital & technology — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
0.816
GTMI score (0–1)
Higher is better
Netherlands: 0.816. Across the 196 countries in this edition, values run from 0.01 (North Korea) to 0.997 (South Korea); the world median is 0.63.
- World median
- 0.63
- Best in Western Europe
- 0.929 Austria
- Land neighbours
- Belgium 0.83 · Germany 0.763
77.18
AI readiness score (0–100)
Higher is better
Ranked 4th of 195 by Oxford Insights
Netherlands: 77.18. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 12.12 (Guinea-Bissau) to 88.36 (United States); the world median is 40.19.
- World median
- 40.19
- Best in Western Europe
- 80.81 France
- Land neighbours
- Belgium 65.17 · Germany 76.78
Key 3 of 4
Government Cyber Security Capacity
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.93
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
Higher is better
Netherlands: 0.93. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from -2.66 (Liberia) to 3.715 (Estonia); the world median is 0.196.
- World median
- 0.196
- Best in Western Europe
- 1.96 France
- Land neighbours
- Belgium 0.247 · Germany 1.937
Key 4 of 4
Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
62.13
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
Higher is better
Netherlands: 62.13. Across the 170 countries in this edition, values run from 0.377 (Gambia) to 87.15 (Ireland); the world median is 25.42.
- World median
- 25.42
- Best in Western Europe
- 85.39 Luxembourg
- Land neighbours
- Belgium 60.65 · Germany 60.3
02Over time
Which way Netherlands is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Government AI Readiness Index
AI readiness score (0–100) · higher is better
NetherlandsWorld median
Netherlands rose from 75.3 in 2020 to 77.18 in 2025; the world median went from 39.58 to 40.19.
Every year’s figures
Year Netherlands World median 2025 77.18 40.2 2024 77.23 43.3 2023 74.47 41.4 2022 75.11 40.3 2021 78.51 44.1 2020 75.30 39.6 Government Cyber Security Capacity
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity · higher is better
NetherlandsWorld median
Netherlands rose from 0.378 in 2000 to 0.93 in 2025; the world median went from -0.514 to 0.196.
Every year’s figures
Year Netherlands World median 2025 0.930 0.20 2024 1.092 0.11 2023 0.801 0.14 2022 0.801 0.16 2021 0.654 0.12 2020 0.654 0.12 2019 0.797 0.10 2018 0.851 -0.05 2017 0.851 -0.08 2016 0.851 -0.10 2015 0.851 -0.17 2014 0.851 -0.21 2013 0.851 -0.21 2012 0.851 -0.25 2011 0.851 -0.32 2010 0.851 -0.31 2009 0.527 -0.50 2008 0.527 -0.51 2007 0.527 -0.51 2006 0.527 -0.55 2005 0.378 -0.55 2004 0.378 -0.55 2003 0.378 -0.55 2002 0.378 -0.51 2001 0.378 -0.51 2000 0.378 -0.51 Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) · higher is better
NetherlandsWorld median
Netherlands rose from 56.7 in 2010 to 62.13 in 2024; the world median went from 19.88 to 25.42.
Every year’s figures
Year Netherlands World median 2024 62.13 25.42 2023 63.09 26.03 2022 61.85 26.04 2021 62.96 29.80 2020 65.86 29.47 2019 66.71 18.36 2018 64.07 20.09 2017 64.76 18.32 2016 63.00 18.15 2015 62.81 19.57 2014 60.24 21.00 2013 56.02 20.50 2012 56.20 19.56 2011 56.82 19.21 2010 56.70 19.88
03In context
Netherlands beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 198 countries on digital & technology, never a place within the region.
Netherlands and the countries it borders
Standing among all 198; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | GovTech Maturity IndexGTMI score (0–1) | Government AI Readiness IndexAI readiness score (0–100) | Government Cyber Security CapacityOriginal latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity | Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsDigitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | 14th | 0.763 | 76.78 | 1.937 | 60.3 |
| Netherlands | 15th | 0.816 | 77.18 | 0.93 | 62.13 |
 Belgium | 39th | 0.83 | 65.17 | 0.247 | 60.65 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Western Europe
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 198.
Placed either side on digital & technology
The countries immediately above and below Netherlands in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Netherlands is ahead of the world, and behind
20 more statistics filed under digital & technology, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median14
Statistics on which Netherlands does better than the middle country measured.
Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 2023 · world median 0.4850.9530.485No real change since 2013
Netherlands: 0.953 · world median 0.485 · Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1; higher is better.
Position 4th of 170 · derived.
Share of Firms' Payments Made ElectronicallyWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 64.2299.7564.22No earlier reading
Netherlands: 99.75 · world median 64.22 · Payments made electronically in a typical month, excluding payroll and payments to government (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 2.172 to 99.91; higher is better.
Firms with Their Own WebsiteWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 62.3993.8762.39No earlier reading
Netherlands: 93.87 · world median 62.39 · Firms with their own website (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.824 to 97.88; higher is better.
Position 9th of 181 · derived.
AI User Share of the Working-Age PopulationMicrosoft AI Economy Institute · 2026 · world median 15.4543.515.45No real change since 2025
Netherlands: 43.5 · world median 15.45 · Generative-AI users (% of population aged 15–64). Microsoft AI Economy Institute, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 6.1 to 73.3; higher is better.
Internet Use Among AdultsWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 83.0595.9183.05No earlier reading
Netherlands: 95.91 · world median 83.05 · Adults who used the internet in the past three months (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.06 to 99.12; higher is better.
Position 13th of 140 · derived.
Smartphone OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 78.7889.7478.78No earlier reading
Netherlands: 89.74 · world median 78.78 · Adults whose main mobile phone is a smartphone (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 8.663 to 97.36; higher is better.
Position 21st of 140 · derived.
ICT Goods ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 0.9758.140.975▼ Worsened since 2014
Netherlands: 8.14 · world median 0.975 · ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 61.45; higher is better.
Position 20th of 119 · derived.
Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness IndexOECD · 2025 · world median 0.2060.0640.206▼ Worsened since 2015
Netherlands: 0.064 · world median 0.206 · Digital STRI (0 = open, 1 = closed). OECD, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.021 to 0.649; lower is better.
Position 107th of 125 · derived, 1st = worst.
Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic)V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median -0.1141.476-0.114▼ Worsened since 2015
Netherlands: 1.476 · world median -0.114 · Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.392 to 2.93; higher is better.
Position 30th of 176 · derived.
Primary Schools with Internet for TeachingUIS · 2024 · world median 98.6610098.66No real change since 2016
Netherlands: 100 · world median 98.66 · Primary schools with internet access for teaching (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Mobile Phone OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 91.6895.291.68No earlier reading
Netherlands: 95.2 · world median 91.68 · Adults who own a mobile phone (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 45.83 to 100; higher is better.
Position 41st of 140 · derived.
ICT Services ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 7.47411.247.474▼ Worsened since 2014
Netherlands: 11.24 · world median 7.474 · ICT services exports (% of services exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 56.25; higher is better.
Position 36th of 118 · derived.
Government Social Media CensorshipV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 0.5050.9310.505▼ Worsened since 2015
Netherlands: 0.931 · world median 0.505 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4.5 to +2.4); higher = less censorship. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.721 to 2.295; higher is better.
Position 68th of 176 · derived.
Government Internet ShutdownsV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 1.0231.1591.023▼ Worsened since 2015
Netherlands: 1.159 · world median 1.023 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4 to +2); higher = fewer shutdowns. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.547 to 2.081; higher is better.
Position 79th of 176 · derived.
Behind the world median1
Statistics on which Netherlands does worse than the middle country measured.
Firms Experiencing Internet DisruptionsWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 32.3539.7632.35No earlier reading
Netherlands: 39.76 · world median 32.35 · Firms that experienced internet outages or slow-downs (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0.735 to 82.39; lower is better.
Position 58th of 163 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
GitHub Git PushesGitHub · 2025 · world median 148,7143,767,050148,714No real change since 2020
Netherlands: 3,767,050 · world median 148,714 · Git pushes during the quarter. GitHub, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,967 to 40,768,192.
GitHub RepositoriesGitHub · 2026 · world median 141,4544,796,752141,454No real change since 2020
Netherlands: 4,796,752 · world median 141,454 · Public repositories located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 142 to 77,284,974.
Anthropic AI Usage IndexAnthropic · 2026 · world median 0.963.90.96No earlier reading
Netherlands: 3.9 · world median 0.96 · Claude usage index (1 = in proportion to working-age population). Anthropic, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0.07 to 6.4.
GitHub DevelopersGitHub · 2026 · world median 84,6702,185,31884,670No real change since 2020
Netherlands: 2,185,318 · world median 84,670 · Developer accounts located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 110 to 32,410,529.
Share of Graduates from ICT ProgrammesUIS · 2023 · world median 5.6014.6045.601Moved since 2014
Netherlands: 4.604 · world median 5.601 · Tertiary graduates from ICT programmes (% of all graduates). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 17.19.
No current reading for Netherlands
Made or Received a Digital Payment (last 2021). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Digital & Technology among Netherlands’s 16 topics
Digital & Technology is Netherlands’s 7th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Mobility & Trade4th of 1774/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality5th of 1593/3 keys
- Work & Labour7th of 1824/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation8th of 1764/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital9th of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 13th of 1944/4 keys
- Digital & Technology15th of 1984/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties18th of 1984/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge21st of 1983/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 26th of 1834/4 keys
- Energy31st of 1653/3 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 37th of 1844/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience39th of 1934/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing45th of 2003/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 46th of 1774/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability110th of 1863/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on digital & technology
The three countries placed highest of 198, and the leaders Netherlands can most readily be measured against.
=1
EstoniaNorthern Europe
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee, greyscale
=1
South KoreaEastern Asia
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia
3rd of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Europe
Estonia=1st4/4 keysHighest in Western Europe
France=9th4/4 keysThis page
Netherlands15th4/4 keys
Positions out of 198 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Netherlands on digital & technology: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Netherlands rank on digital & technology?
Netherlands is placed 15th of 198 countries on Digital & Technology in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (GovTech Maturity Index, Government AI Readiness Index, Government Cyber Security Capacity and Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest GovTech Maturity Index figure for Netherlands?
0.816 in 2025 (gTMI score (0–1)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.63.
What is the latest Government AI Readiness Index figure for Netherlands?
77.18 in 2025 (aI readiness score (0–100)), according to Oxford Insights. The world median in the same edition was 40.19.
How does Netherlands compare with Germany on digital & technology?
Germany is placed 14th of 198, and Netherlands 15th. GovTech Maturity Index: Germany 0.763, Netherlands 0.816; Government AI Readiness Index: Germany 76.78, Netherlands 77.18; Government Cyber Security Capacity: Germany 1.937, Netherlands 0.93; Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports: Germany 60.3, Netherlands 62.13.
How have Netherlands’s digital & technology figures changed?
Government AI Readiness Index rose from 75.3 in 2020 to 77.18 in 2025; Government Cyber Security Capacity rose from 0.378 in 2000 to 0.93 in 2025; Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports rose from 56.7 in 2010 to 62.13 in 2024.
Which digital & technology statistics are missing for Netherlands?
No current reading is published for Netherlands on Made or Received a Digital Payment. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Broadband and mobile subscriptions, connection speeds and the cost of getting online are absent, for the licence reason above; internet use and phone ownership, from the World Bank’s own household survey, and firms’ websites and internet disruptions, from its Enterprise Surveys, are published here as context. The ICT share of goods exports votes under Mobility & Trade. Digital public services and data-protection law are not held yet. Research and development spending is filed under Education & Knowledge, and what an economy knows how to make is under Economy & Innovation.
How the Digital & Technology standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The digital & technology method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- GovTech Maturity Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Government AI Readiness Index — Oxford Insights, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Government Cyber Security Capacity — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 20 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Netherlands’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Netherlands (banner) — Traveler100, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Estonia — Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Netherlands: Digital & Technology — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/netherlands/digital