Although it has some industries (the manufacture of clothing, metal goods, printed materials, and food products), The Hague's economy revolves around government administration, which is centered there rather than in Amsterdam, the constitutional capital of the Netherlands. The Hague is the seat of the Dutch legislature, the Dutch supreme court, the International Court of Justice, and foreign embassies. The city is the headquarters of numerous companies, including the Royal Dutch Shell petroleum company. Also of economic importance are banking, insurance, and trade.

More than 4,100 new companies were started in the third quarter of 2010 while more than 1,900 companies were dissolved. This resulted in a positive balance.

Economic growth was determined by a sharp rise in the number of start-ups. The Duin- en Bollenstreek (Dune and Bulb region) saw a relatively strong increase with growth of 53%.

The Hague agglomeration and the Alphen aan de Rijn region were the regions showing the least growth (5%).