Drugs, prostitution, gambling generate €2.7bn for Dutch economy
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The amount earned in the Netherlands through drugs, prostitution and other criminal activities is some €2.7bn a year, according to calculations by national statistics office CBS for business broadcaster RTLZ.
The CBS first calculated the size of the black economy in 2013, when it said that in 2010, crime, illegal gambling and illegal downloading had generated €2.6bn.
‘It may seem as if the black economy has hardly grown but it is very difficult to make accurate estimates,’ RTLZ said. ‘Criminal activities are said to account for some 0.4% of GDP.’
The CBS figures show a slight rise in the value of the drugs industry, which in 2010 accounted for 55% of the black economy. Prostitution was responsible for some 21%, with illegal copying and gambling adding 9%.
The CBS is not expected to publish detailed figures until 2019, RTLZ said.
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