Land footprint of Dutch consumption, 2010

You are currently viewing an older version of an archived indicator. The current indicator version with the reason for archival can be viewed via this link.

The amount of land required for Dutch consumption totalled about three times the surface area of the Netherlands in 2010. About 0.6 hectares was used per person. More than 80% of the land use was abroad. In the 90s the land footprint had increased, but since 2000 the land footprint decreased as a result of decreasing land use for wood.

Most land use is abroad

The amount of land required for the consumption of Dutch residents and the Dutch government was about three times the surface area of the Netherlands in 2010. Over 80% of the land use was abroad. Land use was mainly located in Western Europe, South-America and South-East Asia.(tab Map). Most land use was outside the Netherlands, which means that primarily internationally-focused policy is required to reduce the effects of the Dutch ecological footprint.

Land use for biofuels

The main land use product groups were food (vegetables, dairy and meat), paper and wood. In the 90s the land footprint had increased, but since 2000 the land footprint decreased as a result of decreasing land use for wood. Recently, the land use for biofuels increased. The use of biomass for electricity generation and fuel was still limited, but it is expected to increase depending on the ambitions for a sustainable energy supply (PBL, 2012). (tab per person)

Land use compared to other world citizens

Land use per inhabitant of the Netherlands was about 0.6 ha. This was roughly equal to the global average. This was because relatively intensive production methods were used to meet consumption demand.

Sources

Technical explanation

Name of the data
-
Description
-
Responsible institute
-
Calculation method
-
Base table
-
Geographical distribution
-
Publication frequency
-
Trust code
-

Archive of this indicator

Current version
version
08
Show more Show less

Reference of this webpage

CBS, PBL, RIVM, WUR (2024). Land footprint of Dutch consumption, 2010 (indicator 0075, version 07,

) www.clo.nl. Statistics Netherlands (CBS), The Hague; PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague; RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven; and Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen.