'Dutch economy falls sharply on global rankings'

The Dutch economy will tumble from the eighteenth to the thirtieth place in the global ranking between now and 2028, predicted the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) Thursday.Like  with Germany, Netherlands would be better off without the euro, because the growth is curtailed by weakness in other euro countries. The CEBR notes, however, that the fall of the Netherlands, one of the largest in the rankings, is misleading. A large number of emerging countries, which already have a similar gross domestic product (GDP), surpass the Netherlands. The Dutch GDP increases from 801 billion dollars (585 billion euros) to 888 billion dollars in 2028.

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The British think tank expects the UK to replace Germany as Europe's largest economy in 2030 Germany, thanks to a sustained population growth leading to a more rapid expansion of the economy. Also, the relatively low British taxation, benefits the growth.

''Theoretically, the German economy should continue to perform well in the coming years. However, assuming the euro remains, Germany will fall in the rankings due to a weak European growth, an aging population, and the obligation to help ailing economies."

The biggest boost for the German economy would be a return to the "mark" currency. ''A German economy, based on the mark, would take many years, perhaps never to be overtaken by the United Kingdom.''

For the Netherlands, the economy with a return to the guilder 'would probably perform a little better' according to the CEBR. Between now and 2028 Netherlands will be  overtaken by Egypt, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Iraq and the Philippines, who are still outside the top 30 for now, and by Switzerland (now 20th), Sweden (21), and Argentina (29th).