tekort

Tekort is a Dutch noun meaning shortage or deficiency. It describes an insufficient amount of something relative to a need or expectation and is used across everyday language as well as technical discussions in economics, journalism, and policy. Examples include voedseltekort (food shortage) or een tekort aan arbeidskrachten (a shortage of labor). In budgetary terms, begrotingstekort means a budget deficit.

In economics the term shortage refers to a situation where, at a given price, the quantity demanded exceeds the quantity supplied. Shortages can be temporary, due to supply chain disruptions or demand spikes, or structural, reflecting longer-term imbalances between production and needs. Shortages contrast with surpluses, and they relate to the broader concept of scarcity—the limited availability of resources—though shortage emphasizes a mismatch at a particular price or time rather than a fundamental scarcity.

Policy responses to shortages include adjusting prices to clear markets, increasing production or imports, or rationing and allocation measures. In public finance, governments may aim to reduce begrotingstekorten through tax changes, spending adjustments, or borrowing.

The term tekorten carries the nuance of insufficiency relative to an applied standard or requirement, rather than an absolute absence. It is widely used in everyday speech and in formal analysis of markets, budgets, and resource availability.