Average consumption growth in the Netherlands was singled out as the lowest in the eurozone in the last decade, said a press release of the Dutch National Bank (DNB) on Thursday.

"In the past ten years, average consumption growth in the euro area was nowhere as weak as in the Netherlands," said the statement.

The consumption pattern was "all the more remarkable" because the Netherlands had almost the highest consumption growth of all later euro countries in the nineties, the statement added.

Reasons for this change after the millennium, according to DNB, include the less favorable labor market in the past 10 years, both in comparison with Europe as compared to the preceding period. The weakening of the housing market in the first decade of this century has also played a role.

One other factor contributing to the low Dutch consumption is the increase in pension contributions in the first years of this century.

Since the start of the current economic crisis, Dutch consumption is mainly under pressure due to the slow income growth, even in a European perspective, and the value decline in the housing market.