nietingroei

Nietingroei is a Dutch term composed of niet (not) and ingroei (growth). In general use it denotes the absence of growth in a system. It is not a fixed technical term with a single universal definition; rather, it serves as a descriptive label for situations where growth does not occur or has halted. The phrase appears in Dutch-language texts across several disciplines, and its precise meaning often depends on context.

In biology and medicine, nietingroei is commonly linked to growth arrest, where cells stop proliferating in culture or tissue. Triggers can include nutrient limitation, contact inhibition, or cellular stress. Depending on the context, the state may be reversible or irreversible, and it may precede senescence or apoptosis in some scenarios.

In economics and demography, nietingroei can describe stagnation—periods with little or no net increase in metrics such as GDP, population, or consumption. It implies a plateau rather than a decline, though the line between stagnation and decline can be blurry when absolute values remain high but growth rates are near zero.

Practical use of the term is as a concise descriptor in reports and discussions when the emphasis is on the absence of growth rather than the presence of shrinkage. Depending on context, it may be replaced by more specific terms such as growth arrest, stagnation, or zero growth.

See also: stagnation, growth arrest, zero growth, non-growth.