34.8 Overall Score (down 9.2 since Aug 1st.)

Netherlands

《 Prev
Data as of Jan 1
Next 》

10.7 Public Health
Directives
39.3 Financial
Response
88 Fact-Based
Communication

10.7 Public Health
Directives
39.3 Financial
Response
88 Fact-Based
Communication

The Netherlands’ overall policy is now near the median, a significant improvement from January, driven by a stronger financial response despite its low testing levels and limited lockdown.

Pre-COVID Conditions

The Netherlands scored extremely well on most categories, except for hospital beds.

Debt/GDP ratio 52.4%
GDP/capita $60,299
Gini coefficient (out of 100) 28.5
Infant mortality rate (out of 1,000 live births) 3
Healthcare access score (out of 100) 89.5
Hospital beds/1,000 People 33.6

Government Response

Select a data point for more information
(Data points represent policy level as of Jan 1.)

10.7

Public Health Directives

The Netherlands’ extremely poor public health policy score was greatly impacted by the country’s limited stay-at-home policy and travel restrictions, minimal testing, and few emergency healthcare funds.

Stay at home order 1
Public gathering restrictions 4
School closings 1
Public event cancellations 2
Testing policy 2
Emergency healthcare investments/capita $1.50
Travel restrictions 3
Tests/1,000 people 298.6
Contact tracing 2

39.3

Financial Response

Despite generous income support, the Netherlands has a relatively weak financial score, driven by a small stimulus package and very weak debt forbearance.

Financial stimulus as share of GDP 16.7%
Income support 2
Debt forebearance 1

Fact-Based Communication

The Netherlands’ government is strong in this category, as it has not limited press freedom in response to COVID-19, although leaders argued early on that there was no evidence for facemask effectiveness.

Reliance on science/fact based information 1
Press freedom 0

COVID-19 Status as of Jan 1

The Netherlands has a poor score for country status, driven by its very high case rate and rise in positivity rate.

Total deaths 11,624
Death rate per 100K 678.4
Total cases 816,616
Cases per 100K 47,658
Percent of positive tests 13.6
Change in positivity rates +4.8

Daily cases Level 1 Lockdown Level 2 Lockdown

	Date	Status	New Cases/1M
1	May 11	Childcare, primary schools, and some businesses are allowed to open	16.83
2	Jun 01	More businesses (including restaurants, cafes, and cultural institutions) reopen	9.19
3	Jul 01	More than 100 people are allowed in closed spaces; numbers at cinemas are not limited; and the travel ban from 14 EU countries is lifted	4.44
4	Aug 06	Begin compulsory COVID-19 testing at Schiphol airport and mandatory temporary closing of entertainment businesses experiencing an outbreak	26.81
5	Aug 18	Reinstate recommendation to work from home if possible, and to limit households to have no more than 6 people	43.10
6	Sep 28	Restaurants and bars must close by 10pm, outdoor gathering limit of 40 people, sporting events closed to the public, social gatherings in homes limited to 3 people	158.56
7	Oct 14	New partial lockdown: no more than 3 visitors per day in home, indoor and outdoor groups can't have more than 4 people from different households, all restaurants/bars closed (takout still allowed), retail stores close by 8pm, no alcohol sold after 8pm (and cannot have it in public in this time), coffee shops close by 8pm and only provide takeout, most events banned	387.49
8	Nov 04	Closed museums, theaters, cinemas, parks; limited gatherings from having more than 2 people from different households	532.01
9	Dec 01	Some of the stricter measures lifted, but lockdown still in place	288.68

Differentiating Factors

Dutch lockdown to continue until February: The Netherlands, which shut down all shops and schools in mid-December for five weeks, expects the lockdown to continue until February, after the vaccination rollout is underway. Read More
Late start for vaccinations criticized: Despite having vaccines in-country, vaccination won't start until early January in the Netherlands as the government makes final preparations, later than many other European countries, prompting harsh criticism from a former senior health official. Read More
Government reverses course and supports masks: After a rise in cases, the Dutch government reversed its earlier views and recommended the use of facemasks in public places. Read More
Cases surge weekly: 60 percent week-on-week increase in COVID-19 cases, but relatively low death rate (30 percent). Read More
COVID-19 restraints rebellion thwarted: The Dutch government has charged celebrities for lack of "honesty and transparency" about the effectiveness of facemasks and the 1.5-metre social distancing rule. Read More
Reinfection found in Netherlands: A patient in the Netherlands has been found to have been reinfected with COVID-19. Read More
Dutch leaders continue mask aversion: Dutch officials continue to refuse to mandate masks, arguing that there is no scientific evidence that masks prevent COVID-19. Read More

Compared with Neighboring/Nearest Countries

56.3
Belgium 648,289
Cases 55,937
Per 1M 19,581
Deaths

Belgium has a relative strong score, with its generous income support and strong testing and contact tracing countered by limited public health directives.
52.6
Germany 1,762,637
Cases 21,038
Per 1M 34,145
Deaths

Germany has improved its score a bit in the past few months, after a sharp decline in the fall. Its improvements in contact tracing, which are already likely underestimated in the data, and restrictions on public gatherings, have played important roles in this turnaround, although there has been a recent spike in cases, likely due to both recent restriction relaxations and vaccine rollout issues.

Be the source of actionable insight.

Select one of the subscription options below to read the full Covid-19 Global Response Index. Unlock even more global intelligence with a subscription to FP Insider.

Best Value

One-Year All Access
FP Insider

$450

1-year of full access to FP Insider exclusive content and subscription benefits

See benefits ▾

All FP Analytics Special Reports, including the COVID-19 Global Response Index
FP Analytics Power Maps
Editorial conference calls
Unlimited articles on ForeignPolicy.com
Digital and print editions of FP’s award-winning magazine
Print archive, containing 50 years of FP journalism
Subscriber-only newsletters
Security and defense news alerts
Bonus episodes of FP podcasts
FP mobile app

Hide benefits

One-Month
COVID-19 Report Bundle

$150

30-day Access to the COVID-19 Global Response Index and Global Race to Vaccinate report

Looking for group access? Contact us directly

Statistics and government response factors available on each country profile include:

Pre-COVID Conditions:

Debt to GDP ratio
Infant mortality rates
Hospital beds per 1,000 people
Gini coefficients measuring inequality
Health access and quality

COVID-19 Public Health Directives:

Stay-at home orders
School-closing policy
Public-gathering restrictions
Cancellation of public events
Testing policy and rates per 1,000 people
Emergency healthcare spending per capita
Travel restrictions
Contact tracing

COVID-19 Financial Response:

Stimulus package as a share of GDP
Income support
Debt-forbearance

Public Communications:

Instances of misinformation by leadership
Limitations on press freedom, censorship

Current/Historic In-Country COVID-19 Status:

Death rates per 1 million
Case rates per 1 million