Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten, born 25 March 1987, is a Dutch politician. He is the leader of Democrats 66 (D66). He took office on 23 February 2026 as the youngest prime minister in Dutch history and the first openly gay prime minister.
Rob Jetten was born on 25 March 1987 in Veghel. He grew up in Uden, located in the province of North Brabant. He completed his primary education at R.K. basisschool “De Bitswijk” in Uden. He continued his secondary education in the v.w.o. (university preparatory) program at Udens College.
Between 2005 and 2011, Jetten studied public administration at Radboud University in Nijmegen, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field.
During his university studies, he completed an internship with Gerard Schouw, a member of the House of Representatives for D66. Before taking on active political roles, he worked for ProRail, the state-owned railway infrastructure company.
From September 2011 to August 2013, he served as a management trainee at ProRail. From August 2013 to December 2014, he worked as a consultant. From December 2014 to 23 March 2017, he was regional manager in the Construction Management unit of Noord-Oost Nederland, based in Zwolle.
Rob Jetten was active in the youth wing of Democrats 66 (D66), known as Jonge Democraten (JD). Between 2007 and 2008, he served as president of a local JD branch. From April 2008 to June 2009, he was the national chair of Jonge Democraten.
From January 2008 to January 2009, he worked as a policy advisor in D66’s faction in the Dutch Senate. From 11 March 2010 to 30 March 2017, he was a member of the Nijmegen Municipal Council. During this period, he served as faction leader of D66’s council group.
In the 2010 and 2014 municipal elections, he was the lead candidate for D66 in Nijmegen. He remained a member of the municipal council until 2017.
Following the 2017 general election, Rob Jetten was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the D66 list. In that election, D66 won 19 seats.
Within the House, he held various roles in the D66 faction and served on its leadership team. He held the position of faction leader in multiple terms and also served as deputy faction leader during certain periods.
In the 2021 general election, D66 won 24 seats and Jetten was re-elected as a member of the House of Representatives. In the 2023 general election, the party won 9 seats; Jetten was again elected as a member.
Jetten was elected to the House of Representatives from the D66 list in the general elections of 2017, 2021, 2023 and 2025. He received 4,903 personal votes in 2017, 45,771 in 2021, 437,371 in 2023, and 1,209,849 in 2025.
As of 11 August 2023, he became the political leader of D66. He led the party’s campaign as its lead candidate in the 2023 and 2025 general elections.
From 10 January 2022 to 2 July 2024, Rob Jetten served as Minister for Climate and Energy in the Rutte IV government, holding the position of minister without portfolio. In this role, he was responsible for climate change policies, industrial emissions, the emissions trading system, energy policy, the Climate and Transition Fund, and the Dutch Emissions Authority (Nederlandse Emissieautoriteit). He was also responsible for COVA (Centraal Orgaan Voorraadvorming Aardolieproducten), the central authority managing national oil product reserves. During his tenure, a plan to invest €750 million in a hydrogen network by 2031 was introduced.
In January 2024, he briefly served as Minister of Finance. Later that year, he served as Deputy Prime Minister.
From 4 February 2026 to 21 February 2026, he served as formateur, leading the government formation process. On 23 February 2026, he assumed office as Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs.
In the early general elections held in Netherlands on 29 October 2025, Democrats 66 (D66) emerged as the largest party with 26 seats. In the same election, the Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders won 26 seats, VVD won 22, the GreenLeft–Labour Party (GroenLinks–PvdA) alliance won 20, and CDA won 18 seats.
In the 150-seat Dutch parliament, the parties forming the government—D66, CDA and VVD—together hold 66 seats, resulting in a minority government without a parliamentary majority.
The new cabinet led by Prime Minister Rob Jetten was officially sworn in on 23 February 2026 during a ceremony at Huis ten Bosch Palace in the presence of King Willem-Alexander. At the age of 38, Jetten became the youngest prime minister in the country’s history.
Early Life and Education
Beginning of Political Career
Rise in National Politics
Ministerial and Government Roles
2025 General Election and Coalition Process
