Are the stereotypes about the Dutch being stingy with money true? Well, they might just be, as the 2021 Global Wealth Report has ranked the Netherlands as the fourth wealthiest country in the world.

Allianz Global Wealth Report 2021

For the 12th year in a row, financial service company Allianz has published its Global Wealth Report, examining the asset and debt situation of households from 57 countries across the world, as well as global economic growth in 2021 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic meant many were worried about the future of the global economy and the risk of a potential economic collapse, but the latest Global Wealth Report found that, actually, the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would go strongly in 2021 thanks to financial aid schemes and the success of many countries’ vaccination campaigns. 

Dutch love of saving has made the Netherlands quite wealthy

In addition to assessing the global financial outlook, Allianz ranked all 57 countries involved in the study, looking at the average household assets and debts in each country in order to determine the so-called wealthiest countries in the world. 

The Netherlands didn’t manage to nab a spot in the top three, but did come in fourth place, sandwiched between Denmark and Sweden. According to Allianz’s research, Dutch households have, on average, 180.193 euros in wealth (gross), which is significantly more than the global average of 35.970 euros. The average net wealth of Dutch households is just under 129.000 euros. 

The people of the Netherlands got considerably richer in 2020, with each person’s average gross financial assets increasing by more than 15.000 euros  - the reason for this? The Dutch love of saving, of course! This was also helped along by the national lockdowns and travel restrictions, which meant people generally didn’t have as many reasons to spend their hard-earned cash.

It isn’t all good news though, as the report also reveals the growing wealth inequality, not just in the Netherlands but all around the world. According to researchers, more and more families in the Netherlands are facing growing debts which they then struggle to pay.

The top 10 richest countries in the world 

Allianz ranked all 57 countries in order of net financial assets per capita. The following countries made it into the top 10:

1. USA 
2. Switzerland
3. Denmark
4. The Netherlands
5. Sweden
6. Singapore
7. Taiwan
8. New Zealand
9. Japan 
10. Belgium

For more information or to read the full report, visit the Allianz website.