Trends in
the Netherlands
2015
Hoofdstuktitel
3
Trends in
the Netherlands
2015
Explanation of symbols
. Data not available
* Provisional figure
** Revised provisional figure (but not definite)
x Publication prohibited (confidential figure)
–Nil
– (Between two figures) inclusive
0 (0.0) Less than half of unit concerned
empty cell Not applicable
2014–2015 2014 to 2015 inclusive
2014/2015 Average for 2014 to 2015 inclusive
2014/’15 Crop year, financial year, school year, etc.,
beginning in 2014 and ending in 2015
2012/’13–
2014/’15 Crop year, financial year, etc., 2012/’13 to 2014/’15
inclusive
Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond to the sum of
the separate figures.
Publisher
Statistics Netherlands
Henri Faasdreef 312, 2492 JP The Hague
www.cbs.nl
Prepress: Statistics Netherlands, Studio BCO
Printed by: Tuijtel, Hardinxveld-Giessendam
Information
Telephone +31 88 570 70 70
Via contact form: www.cbs.nl/infoservice
Where to order
Obtainable via www.cbs.nl
Price: € 10.00 (excluding postage)
ISBN 978-90-357-2105-0
ISSN 0303-6448
© Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire 2015.
Reproduction is permitted, provided Statistics Netherlands is quoted
as the source.
3003 201501 A-3
Foreword
Trends in the Netherlands replaces the Statistical
yearbook of the Netherlands. It describes trends in
Dutch economy and society from five perspectives.
The book gives a colourful impression of the
information Statistics Netherlands compiles. It
also describes two innovative products: the web
apps voor open data and for corporate news.
The open data web app presents all datasets in
Statistics Netherlands’ StatLine databank in
graphs and maps, while users of the corporate
news web app can take a look behind the
scenes at Statistics Netherlands.
Like all publications, Trends in the Netherlands
2015 can be downloaded in PDF from
www.cbs.nl. The graphs, tables, maps and text
in this book are examples of what is available;
the range is much wider. All statistical data,
including the most up-to-date results, are
available in the online statistical databank
StatLine. The databank can be accessed free of
charge via www.cbs.nl/statline and via the
open data web app (http://opendata.cbs.nl/
Dataportaal).
Nearly every day, Statistics Netherlands
publishes news and background articles on its
website www.cbs.nl. You can keep up with all
publications via the RSS feeds and via Twitter
(http://twitter.com/statisticscbs).
I hope you enjoy the book, and invite you to
visit the website for much more information.
Director General,
Dr T.B.P.M. Tjin-A-Tsoi
The Hague/Heerlen/Bonaire, July 2015
Contents
1 Corporate information 7
4 Population and wellbeing
Trends 39
2 Economy
Facts and figures 47
Trends 11
Population 47
Facts and figures 17
Health and welfare 52
International trade 17
Leisure and culture 57
Prices 17
Financial markets 18
5 Public sector
Bankruptcies 19
Trends 65
Construction and housing 20
Facts and figures 71
Trade, hotels and restaurants 21
Education 71
Financial and business services 21
Security 75
Traffic and transport 22
Fire services 76
Government 23
3 Labour and income
Trends 25
Facts and figures 31
6 Environment
Trends 79
Facts and figures 85
Energy 85
Purchasing power 31
Agriculture 90
Sickness absence 32
Nature and wildlife 95
Labour market 33
98,000
followers on Twitter
3,600
datasets in StatLine
50
videos on CBS-YouTube
CBS online 2015
6 Trends in the
Netherlands
2
Nederland
2015 2015
1. Corporate information
StatLine App and Open data portal
Statistics Netherlands is a constantly innovating
organisation, one aspect of which is the
development of new products. Last year was a
productive year in this respect: Statistics
Netherlands launched its Open data portal in
mid-2014, making all 3,600 datasets in its
StatLine databank publicly accessible as open
data. A web app for StatLine on the basis of
open data is now also available. In just two
clicks this web app presents all tables in the
StatLine databank as graphs or maps. Naturally
the app can also show the data in tabular form.
It is easier to use than StatLine, and can also be
used by people who do not know how the
databank works. The new products are
accessible via www.cbs.nl.
Neighbourhood statistics
In April 2015 Statistics Netherlands launched a
new version of its interactive neighbourhood
statistics website CBSinuwbuurt.nl, with mapbased data on 75 neighbourhood and local
population variables.
Corporate information 7
Corporate news web app
The web app corporate.cbs.nl has been
developed as a platform for news about the
organisation itself. Three times a week new
articles are published about topical items, new
services and products, international
developments and events. The corporate news
web app has been developed to keep external
relations of Statistics Netherlands up-to-date
with what is happening in and around the
organisation. Its users include businesses,
journalists, policymakers, students, and anyone
else interested in news about official statistics.
The web app has easy-to-use filter and search
features, and users can share items via
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Director General
Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi is enthusiastic about this new
product. ‘We used to have a paper magazine for
our external relations. The print run was
2,500 copies and it was published every quarter.
Against the background of today’s fast
communication methods, this was obviously an
outdated concept, and therefore we have
developed a modern, user-friendly web app
which everyone can use – on all kinds of
devices – to keep up with news about Statistics
Netherlands.’
8 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
Statistics Netherlands on social media
To make its data even more widely available,
Statistics Netherlands also publishes them via
social media. Anyone who wants the latest
up-to-date figures can follow @statistiekcbs,
and the English account @statisticscbs, on
Twitter. Statistics Netherlands tweets new data,
relevant data about topics in the news, and
nice-to-know facts. In the space of five years,
the number of followers has risen to 98,000
(June 2015).
Statistics Netherlands also has a YouTube
channel, youtube.com/statistiekcbs, with around
fifty videos explaining certain statistical
concepts, such as inflation, and social issues
such as population ageing, as well as recorded
press conferences.
Corporate information 9
Transport equipment industry
3.1%
growth in 2014
production
45,400
employed persons in 2013
€ 13,825,000,000
turnover in 2013
10 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2. Economy
Trends
Economy growing, but still not at pre-crisis
level
Dutch economic growth was positive again in
2014, following a period of negative growth that
lasted longer than in neighbouring countries.
Economic activity, exports and employment all
increased, and the housing market also picked
up. It is a slow process, though: the size of the
economy is still 2 percent below the level of
2008. Many economies in Europe are now already
doing better than before the start of the crisis.
Broad-based growth
The Dutch economy grew by 0.9 percent in
2014, signalling a cautious continuation of the
recovery which began in mid-2013. Household
consumption increased slightly, by 0.1 percent.
For the first time in a number of years, consumers
purchased more durable goods, particularly
electronics. Government consumption, on the
other hand, decreased in 2014 for the fourth
year in a row.
Dutch economic growth is driven by exports
– aided by the sharp devaluation of the euro –
but also by consumer spending and private
investment. Household consumption and
investment increased for the first time since
2011. In previous years, only exports had
grown, tempering the level of recession to
some extent. Levels of consumer and producer
confidence both increased.
Most sectors of the economy showed improvement in 2014. The manufacturing industry grew
by 1.1 percent, and within this sector, the
manufacture of machinery and transport
equipment rose particularly strongly, partly as a
result of increased investment. For wood, paper
and publishing, the – limited – growth was even
the first positive result after six successive years
of contraction. By contrast, the growth rate in the
food, drinks and tobacco industry decreased
slightly, and production in the mineral extraction
sector was down as the mild winter pushed
down demand for natural gas.
Economy 11
Construction output increased by 3.4 percent,
the first substantial growth following years of
decline. At the end of 2014, the construction
sector was still over 20 percent smaller than in
2008. Agriculture recorded the highest growth
rate: 4.2 percent, partly as a result of increased
exports of fruit and vegetables in the first few
months of the year and a good potato crop.
2.1
Gross domestic product (GDP)
seasonally adjusted, 2008-I=100
% year-on-year volume change
5
105
4
104
3
103
2
102
1
101
0
100
Fewer employees, more self-employed
–1
99
Employment picked up in 2014. The number of
employee jobs lagged slightly behind 2013,
while the number of self-employed rose. This
marks a trend which has prevailed for some time:
since the crisis started at the end of 2008, the
number of employee jobs has been falling, while
more and more people are starting their own
business. Job losses are especially numerous in
the care and construction sectors. The care sector
is now no longer the employment provider it
used to be, partly as a result of cutbacks in
childcare jobs. Employment in construction has
decreased steadily since 2008 and the number of
jobs in this sector is now 100,000 lower.
Employee jobs account for most job losses in
construction; the number of self-employed has
remained roughly unchanged in recent years.
–2
98
–3
97
–4
96
12 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
95
–5
I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV
2008
Change
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Index (right-hand scale)
100,000 b
B
job losses in construction
2.2 GDP and spending
Economic recovery in Europe
2008
2011
2012
2013
2014
% year-on-year volume change
GDP
2­.1
1­.7
−1­.6
−0­.7
0­.9
Imports
1­.8
3­.5
2­.8
0­.8
4.0
Exports
1­.5
4­.4
3­.3
2­.0
4.0
Household consumption
1­.0
0­.2
−1­.4
−1­.6
0­.1
Government consumption
4­.1
−0­.2
−1­.6
−0­.3
−0­.3
Investment
4­.8
5­.6
−6­.0
−4­.0
3­.4
2.3
Employed labour force by type of employment
x mln
2.0
x mln
6.0
1.6
5.6
1.2
5.2
0.8
4.8
0.4
4.4
At 0.9 percent, the Dutch growth rate was lower
than average in the European Union
(1.3 percent), but at the same level as the
eurozone average (also 0.9 percent). Germany
and the United Kingdom are leading the
recovery in Europe, with relatively high growth
rates of 1.6 percent and 2.6 percent respectively.
The economies of Italy, Croatia, Cyprus and
Finland did not grow at all in 2014.
Despite the upturn, the volumes of both the
Dutch and the eurozone economies are still
nearly 2 percent below their pre-crisis levels.
Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy are all also still
below their 2008 levels. The economies in
Belgium and France are already slightly above
the level of early 2008, while the German
economy is already 4 percent and the British
economy 3.4 percent above this level.
0
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Self-employed with employees
Self-employed without employees
Employees with flexible contract
Employees with permanent contract (right-hand scale)
Economy 13
Fast recovery for economies outside Europe
Outside Europe, the United States continued its
solid economic growth, recording a 2.4 percent
increase in GDP in 2014. US economic growth
has been above 2 percent for three years now.
In Asia and most emerging markets, growth
rates have levelled off somewhat in recent
years. Chinese growth slowed from 10 percent
in 2008 to 7 percent in 2014.
The American economy was quicker to bounce
back than those in Europe and is now 9 percent
above its pre-crisis level. Japan’s economy
seemed to have found a way back up at the
beginning of 2014, only to relapse again
subsequently. As a result, the Japanese economy
was slightly smaller at the end of 2014 than at
the start of 2008.
2.4 International inflation
2008
2011
Eurozone
2013
2014
3­.3
2­.7
2­.5
1­.3
0­.4
Netherlands
2­.2
2­.5
2­.8
2­.6
0­.3
Germany
2­.8
2­.5
2­.1
1­.6
0­.8
France
3­.2
2­.3
2­.2
1­.0
0­.6
United Kingdom
3­.6
4­.5
2­.8
2­.6
1­.5
United States
4­.4
3­.8
2­.1
1­.3
1­.3
Source: Eurostat.
0.4% eurozone
inflation in 2014
14 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2012
% year-on-year change
a
A
2.5
Economic growth
2008-I=100
110
108
106
104
102
100
98
96
94
92
90
I
II
III
IV
I
2008
Eurozone
II
III
IV
I
2009
Japan
II
2010
United States
III
IV
I
II
III
IV
I
2011
United Kingdom
II
III
IV
I
2012
Germany
II
III
2013
IV
I
II
III
IV
2014
Netherlands
Economy 15
´
Turning point for Dutch
economy in 2014
0.9%
increase in GDP
�
7.4%
of labour force unemployed
1.0%
inflation
lowest level since 1988
´
Facts and figures
International trade
Dutch companies imported and exported more
goods in 2014 than in 2013, the fifth year-onyear increase in a row. Low oil prices resulted in
lower import prices than in 2013. As a result
there was hardly any net change in the value of
imports. The value of exports did rise slightly.
The trade surplus was 50 billion euros, 3 billion
euros more than in 2013.
Accounting for a share of 9 percent of Dutch
imports, China is the third largest supplier of
goods to the Netherlands. Its share was
2 percentage points higher than in 2008.
Germany is still the main trading partner of the
Netherlands: 16 percent of Dutch imports come
from Germany and 24 percent of Dutch exports
go there.
Prices
Factory-gate prices of Dutch manufactured
products were 2.2 percent lower in 2014 than
in the previous year, mainly as a result of lower
oil prices. It was the second year in a row that
manufacturers’ prices decreased. Not only the
2.6
Value of imports and exports of goods, 2014*
Imports (total 383 bn euros)
14%
Machines and transport equipment
28%
4%
Mineral fuels
Chemical products
10%
Food and live animals
Manufactured goods
Inedible raw materials excl. fuels
9%
Other
22%
13%
Exports (total 432 bn euros)
13%
26%
5%
9%
13%
17%
17%
Economy 17
oil industry was able to reduce its prices as a
result of lower purchasing costs of crude
petroleum, the chemical industry also lowered
its prices. Price reductions were smaller in the
food, drinks and tobacco industry.
Manufacturers of textiles and construction
materials raised their product prices slightly in
2014.
Consumer goods were 0.4 percent cheaper on
average in 2014. Prices of consumer electronics
were substantially lower, and clothes, glass,
pottery and other household items also cost
less. Rent levels rose by just over 4 percent. The
average inflation rate for 2014 was 1.0 percent.
Financial markets
Stock exchanges worldwide benefited from the
growth in the American economy in 2014.
Returns on shares were 8 percent on average.
The Amsterdam AEX index closed 6 percent
higher than twelve months previously.
Interest on European government bonds fell
further in 2014. In the Netherlands interest on
10-year government bonds fell below 1 percent
for the first time. This offered the government a
low-cost option to finance the increasing
government debt.
18 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2.7
Inflation
% year-on-year change
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
2008
2.8
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
AEX index, 31 December
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Source: De Nederlandsche Bank
2.9
Pronounced bankruptcies
The value of the euro fell substantially in 2014
against other currencies. As a result of this
devaluation, it was relatively cheap for noneurozone countries to buy goods in the
Netherlands.
x 1,000
10.0
9.5
9.0
8.5
Bankruptcies
8.0
7.5
7.0
6.5
0
2009
2010
2011
2012
7,621 businesses
went bankrupt in 2014
2013
2014
c
C
While a record number of 9.4 thousand
businesses in the Netherlands went bankrupt in
2013, in 2014 this number fell to 7.6 thousand
of the 1.4 million companies active in that year.
The decrease in the number of bankruptcies is a
sign that the economy is doing better.
The number of bankruptcies fell in almost all
sectors of industry, but by most in construction
(39 percent). The number of bankruptcies in
manufacturing was 33 percent lower, in the
trade sector it was 23 percent down. In financial
services, however, the number of bankruptcies
rose by 30 percent. In 2014, 13 in every thousand businesses in this sector were pronounced
bankrupt. Business failure rates are usually
lower in agriculture: in 2014 1.4 per thousand
businesses went bankrupt, fewer than usual.
Economy 19
Construction and housing
Following two years of contraction, construction
turnover grew by 1.5 percent in 2014. The construction sector also showed improvement in
other aspects: the number of bankruptcies fell
substantially, and at the start of 2015 confidence of construction businesses was positive
for the first time since the end of 2008. Building
permits were granted for nearly 40 thousand
new homes, one and a half times as many as in
2013. The number of jobs in construction did
fall, however, from 532 thousand in 2013 to
511 thousand in 2014.
Nearly 154 thousand existing homes changed
hands in 2014, many more than in 2013
(110 thousand). House prices (excluding new
construction) rose by nearly 1 percent in 2014.
20 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2.10
Building permits for new homes
x 1,000
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2011
Own homes
2012
Rental homes
2013
2014
2.11
Turnover in trade, hotels and restaurants, 2014
Trade, hotels and restaurants
Retail sales rose again in 2014 for the first time
in six years. As prices were slightly lower, turnover hardly improved, however. Turnover in the
hotel and restaurant sector rose by 5.6 percent,
the largest increase in recent years. Consumers
went out more to eat and drink, and also spent
more nights in hotels. All branches within the
hotel and restaurant sector realised more
turnover than in 2013.
Car dealers reported a drop in turnover in the
last quarter of 2014 in particular compared with
twelve months previously. Turnover was exceptionally high in the fourth quarter of 2013 as
consumers and private companies purchased
cars in anticipation of tax measures for new cars
that came into effect on 1 January 2014.
Car trade
Wholesale trade
Retail trade
of which
non-food
food
mail order and web shops
Hotels and restaurants
of which
cafés, pubs, etc.
hotels
snack bars
Financial and business services
restaurants
–4
–2
0
2
4
6
8
10
% year-on-year change
The long-term interest for pension funds fell by
45 percent in 2014. As a result, investment rose
by 18 percent, and pension commitments by
21 percent. Pension commitments are a
measure of how much money the funds have to
have in hand to be able to pay future pensions.
If interest rates are low, the funds need more
money to pay the ultimate amount due. As the
Economy 21
commitments rose by more than investment, the
financial position of pension funds deteriorated
overall in 2014.
Traffic and transport
Over 365 million tonnes of goods were
transported by inland vessels in 2014. This
accounts for one third of all goods transported
within Dutch borders last year. Transported
volumes were up for nearly all products, but
especially for sand and gravel, other construction materials and containers. Volumes of coal
for power plants and iron ore were smaller than
in 2013.
As smaller vessels have been taken out of
service, the overall loading capacity of dry bulk
ships (gravel) has been decreasing since 2012.
As a result, the average loading capacity per
inland vessel has continued to rise. For liquid
bulk carriers (e.g. oil), both the number and
total cargo capacity continue to rise, although
the increase is slowing down.
2.12
Effect of interest rates on pension commitments
1,200
bn euros
%
6
1,000
5
800
4
600
3
400
2
200
1
0
0
–200
–1
2007
2.13
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Total investment
Pension commitments
Buffer
15-year interest rate (right-hand scale)
2014*
Goods transport, 2014
Coal
Iron ore
Construction materials
Containers
Other goods
Sand and gravel
–4
22 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
–2
0
2
4
6
8
10
year-on-year change in mln tonnes
2.14 Government deficit and
government debt
2012
Government
2013
2014
bn euros
Government revenues
278­.7
286­.2
290­.5
Government spending
304­.0
300­.8
305­,4
Government deficit (EMU)
−25­.3
−14­.6
−14­.9
Government debt (EMU)
426­.1
441­.0
451­.0
% of GDP
Government deficit (EMU)
−4­.0
−2­.3
−2­.3
Government debt (EMU)
66­.5
68­.6
68­.8
Revenues
43­.5
44­.5
44­.3
36­.0
36­.8
37­.6
47­.5
46­.8
46­.6
taxes and premiums
Spending
Dutch government deficit amounted to
2.3 percent of GDP in 2014. This is the same
level as in 2013 when it was within the
European deficit norm of 3 percent for the first
time in five years. In 2009 the deficit was still
5.5 percent of GDP.
Government debt was 68.8 percent of GDP in
2014. It is the first time since the start of the
credit crisis that the debt-to-GDP ratio remained
at the same level. The volume of the debt in
euros did increase further, by 10 billion euros.
The extra debt was necessary to finance the
government deficit. The interest due on the debt
continued to decrease as a result of falling
interest rates.
a
A
68% debt-to-GDP ratio in 2014
Economy 23
Wealth
741,000
households with no mortgage debt in 2014
€ 142,000
average household wealth in 2013
1,480,000
households with negative equity in 2014
8
Trends in Nederland 2015
3. Labour and income
Trends
Unequal distribution of income and wealth
Income inequality is relatively small and stable
in the Netherlands, and even remained so since
the start of the crisis at the end of 2008.
Average household wealth has decreased
substantially since 2008, however, mainly as a
result of the fall in value of own homes.
Average (standardised) household income in
the Netherlands was 23.6 thousand euros in
2013. Income is not evenly distributed across
households: half of households have less
than 21.1 thousand euros and one quarter have
less than 16 thousand euros. Forty thousand
households (0.6 percent) even have negative
income; half of these are self-employed people
who made a loss. Thirty thousand households
(0.4 percent) had an income of over
100 thousand euros.
Average income rose steadily in the period
1977–2013, although the upward trend was
interrupted a number of times by economic
recession. The lowest level of income was
recorded around 1985, at the time of severe
economic recession. Around 1994 and 2004,
too, the economy relapsed, although less
substantially. Income peaked in 2007, during a
period of economic revival, only to decrease
every year in the period up to 2013 as a result
of the subsequent economic crisis.
Wealth differs more than income
Wealth is even more unequally distributed
among households than income. Average
household wealth in 2013 was 142 thousand
euros. This includes assets such as an own
home, balances on bank and savings accounts,
shares and securities, minus outstanding debts.
Half of all households have assets worth less
than 19 thousand euros, while more than one
and a half million households are worth more
than 200 thousand euros. At the beginning of
2013, 85 percent of wealth in the Netherlands
was in the hands of the 20 percent wealthiest
households.
Labour and income 25
According to the definition used by Statistics
Netherlands, wealth is transferable and at the
disposal of the household. As this is not the case
for pension entitlements, these are not included
in household wealth. Pension entitlements
largely consist of compulsory contributions to
pension funds. Other collective forms of wealth
such as the social safety nets and education are
also excluded from Statistics Netherlands’
calculation. As a result of the compulsory
participation in pension schemes and the wide
availability of collective provisions, the Dutch do
not need to build up capital for their old age.
There is therefore little point in comparing the
Netherlands with countries with fewer collective
regulations for social and old-age provisions.
Substantial fall in wealth
The wealth position of households has
deteriorated continuously since the start of the
crisis at the end of 2008: average household
capital fell from 51 thousand euros (2008) to
19 thousand euros (2013). The drop was mainly
the result of the reduction in the value of own
homes: from 256 thousand euros on average at
the beginning of 2008 to 207 thousand euros at
the beginning of 2013. In the same period, the
26 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
3.1 Households by income, 2013*
households (x 1,000)
800
600
400
200
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
standardised income (1,000 euros)
average mortgage debt rose from 143 thousand euros to 165
thousand euros.
Just under 4.3 million households had an own home at the
beginning of 2013; 1.5 million of these homes were worth
less than the outstanding fiscal mortgage debt on them.
Since the crisis, the share of households with negative equity
has risen substantially: from 13 percent in 2008 to
34 percent in 2013, although the rise did not continue in
2014. People who had bought a house shortly before the
crisis broke out were the main group affected: the value of
their homes has dropped sharply. Nearly half of Dutch
homeowners (2.1 million) lived in properties that were
3.2 Average disposable and standardised household
income1)
worth more than the outstanding fiscal
mortgage debt at the beginning of 2013 and
the beginning of 2014. The fiscal mortgage debt
does not take into account capital built up in
savings-based and endowment mortgages, as
no data are available on this.
1,000 euros (2013 prices)
40
30
20
10
Economic inequality between groups
0
1975
1980
1985
Standardised income
1)
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Disposable income
Due to a revisison, figures for 1977–2000 are not directly comparable with those
for 2000–2013.
3.3 Median household wealth, 1 January 2013
1,000 euros (2013 prices)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013*
Differences in income and wealth between
population groups can largely be explained by
the age composition of the population. To a large
extent the age of the household’s main earner
determines its level of income and amount of
capital. People starting out on the labour market
earn relatively little; they cannot save much and
often take out large mortgages to buy a property.
As they grow older, their financial position
improves. Income rises as a result of experience
and transfers to better-paid jobs, enabling them
to build up more capital growth, for example by
repayments on the mortgage debt. Although
their income drops when they retire, many
over-65s have almost or completely repaid their
mortgages and are relatively wealthy.
In addition to demographic factors there are
other causes of inequality. Self-employed
people, for example, have higher incomes than
Labour and income 27
employee households and benefit claimants.
And homeowners are wealthier than tenants in
rented accommodation. Even if home ownership
is not taken into account, median wealth is
3 thousand euros lower for tenants than for
homeowners (28 thousand euros). Tenants in
rented accommodation include relatively many
low-income households such as singles and
single parents.
3.4 Households by home equity (property value minus
outstanding mortgage debt), 1 January
mln households
5
4
3
2
1
0
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014*
Employed or studying, own home or renting
Economic inequality is also present within
population groups. The large inequality between
young main earners (younger than 25 years) is
caused by different economic activities. One third
of them are students living in student housing
with a relatively low income, while just over half
of this age group have a well-paid job. Inequality
in income and wealth decreases in older age
groups. Another factor in the substantial wealth
inequality in this group is different types of
accommodation. Some young people rent
accommodation and usually have only modest
savings, others have just bought their first house,
with a large mortgage and often negative equity.
Income and wealth inequality are smallest for
households of the over-65s.
28 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
Negative equity
Positive equity
No outstanding debt
3.5 Economic inequality by background characteristics, 2013*
Wealth
incl. own home
median
Gini
Income
Theil
1,000 euros
Total
19­.1
median
Gini
Theil
1,000 euros
0­.895
1­.750
23­.6
0­.281
0­.155
Age of main earner
younger than 25 yrs
1­.1
.
3­.111
10­.1
0­.396
0­.273
25–44 yrs
1­.4
.
3­.043
22­.8
0­.264
0­.132
45–64 yrs
59­.0
0­.821
1­.527
26­.5
0­.281
0­.154
65 yrs or older
99­.6
0­.709
1­.155
23­.1
0­.230
0­.115
Main source of income
Labour
9­.2
1­.031
1­.991
25­.7
0­.246
0­.115
Own business
95­.1
0­.844
1­.665
28­.9
0­.377
0­.286
Benefits or pension
24­.5
0­.753
1­.194
19­.1
0­.245
0­.116
of which
61­.0
0­.703
1­.021
unemployment benefits
2­.6
0­.944
1­.625
16­.3
0­.205
0­.077
illness/disability benefits
2­.8
0­.887
1­.648
16­.6
0­.173
0­.051
91­.5
0­.672
0­.931
21­.8
0­.205
0­.083
0­.4
1­.109
3­.299
11­.9
0­.138
0­.061
pension
income support
Inequality increased after 2009
Differences in wealth fluctuated significantly
more in the period 2006–2013 than differences
in income, and since 2009 wealth inequality has
increased visibly. The main cause of this was the
reduction in the value of own homes during the
crisis. The capital of less wealthy groups consists
mainly of the value of the own home minus
outstanding mortgage. Their capital thus
decreased by relatively more than that of
wealthier households, many of whom also have
shares and savings. As a result the differences in
wealth between households increased. If the
value of the home and the outstanding
mortgage debt are not taken into account,
wealth inequality hardly rose at all. Indeed the
increase in wealth inequality is a direct
consequence of the collapse of the housing
market at the beginning of the crisis.
Homeowner/tenant
Own home
Rented home
115­.3
0­.789
1­.350
28­
0­.256
0­.134
2­.9
0­.941
2­.153
17­.8
0­.250
0­.121
Labour and income 29
∂
Income and labour market
175,000
young people unemployed in 2014
�
10.3%
of households below poverty threshold in 2013
1,600,000
people (15–64 yrs) had a disability in 2013
∂
Facts and figures
Purchasing power
The purchasing power of the Dutch population
decreased by 1.1 percent in 2013. This was the
fourth year in a row that purchasing power
decreased. Only for employees did it increase
slightly in 2013, by 0.4 percent. The largest fall
was for the self-employed, 3.3 percent, but
decreases were also substantial for benefit
claimants, especially people on disability
benefits: 1.4 percent. Pensioners’ purchasing
power fell by 3.0 percent, as pension payments
were no longer increased to compensate for
inflation and in some cases even reduced as the
coverage ratios of the pension funds fell below
the required level.
Just over one in ten households (10.3 percent)
had an income below the poverty threshold in
2013. This is more than in 2012 (9.3 percent),
2011 (8.2 percent) and 2010 (7.4 percent). The
increase is reflected in all high-risk groups:
single-parent families, income support claimants,
households with a non-western foreign background and singles younger than 65 years.
3.6
Purchasing power, 2013*
Total population
Employees
Self-employed
Benefit claimants
of whom
disability benefit
pension
income support claimants
–3.5
–3.0
–2.5
–2.0
–1.5
–1.0 –0.5
0
0.5
% year-on-year change
a
A
726,000 households below
low-income threshold in 2013
Labour and income 31
Sickness absence
The sickness absence rate among employees in
the Netherlands fell to 3.8 percent in 2014, the
lowest rate since 1996. The low absence rate
may be an effect of the economic situation:
employees are more concerned about the future
of their jobs. The mild flu outbreak at the start
of 2014 also contributed to the low rate of
sickness absence.
Absence is highest in education and public
administration (including government), and
lowest in the hotel and restaurant sector. The
differences in sickness absence rates correlate
with the age compositions of the various
sectors of industry. Many workers in the hotel
and restaurants sector, for example, are young,
while employees in the education sector are
often in the older age groups. Sickness absence
increases with age.
One in seven 15–64-year-olds in 2013 – nearly
1.6 million people – had a disability or longterm illness that made it more difficult for them
to work or find a job. One third of them had a
paid job of at least 12 hours a week, often a
permanent contract and relatively often parttime. Labour participation rises with education
32 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
3.7 Low-income households by household composition,
2013*
Total
Single
younger than 65 yrs
65 yrs or older
Couple without children
younger than 65 yrs
65 yrs or older
Couple
underage children only
at least one adult child
Single-parent family
underage children only
at least one adult child
Other
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
%
Low income
Low income for four years or longer
3.8
Sickness absence by sector, 2014
level, but even at the highest education level it
is lower than participation among people without
a disability. Not only is labour participation low
among people with a disability, relatively many
of them are unemployed: the unemployment
rate in this group is 15.8 percent, more than
twice as high as in the group without a disability (7.6 percent).
Hotels and restaurants
Specialist business services
Agriculture
ICT companies
Financial services
Netherlands
Labour market
Manufacturing
Water and waste management
Health and welfare
Education
Government
0
2
4
6
%
3.9 People with a disability
(15–64 yrs), 2013
Men
Women
x 1,000
15–24 yrs
65­
78­
25–34 yrs
74­
102­
35–44 yrs
123­
164­
45–54 yrs
164­
245­
55–64 yrs
239­
297­
Over half of all employed people aged
15–64 years in the Netherlands in 2014 worked
part-time. The share of part-time workers is
much smaller in other countries of the European
Union. Austria and Germany are joint second with
28 percent of workers working part-time, in the
United Kingdom this is 27 percent and in
Sweden 26 percent. On average just over one in
five workers in the 28 countries of the European
Union work part-time.
It is Dutch women who put the Netherlands at the
top of the part-time league table. In 2014 more
than three-quarters of working women in the
Netherlands (77 percent) worked part-time. In all
other countries of the EU this was less than half of
women. On average fewer than one in three
working women in the EU had a part-time job.
Labour and income 33
Although the share of Dutch men working
part-time is small (28 percent), it was still
higher in 2014 than in every other country in
the EU.
3.10
Part-time workers in the European Union, 2014
Netherlands
Germany
Austria
United Kingdom
Belgium
Youth unemployment has risen strongly in
recent years. In 2014, 175 thousand young
people (15–24 years) in the Netherlands were
unemployed, 12.7 percent of this age group. In
2008, before the crisis, 8.6 percent of young
people were out of work. Although the
percentage of unemployed young people is
high compared with total unemployment of
7.4 percent, it is relatively low in a European
perspective. In the 28 countries of the European
Union, an average 22 percent of young people
are unemployed. In Germany this was 8 percent,
in Austria 10 percent. But in Italy and Croatia
youth unemployment is over 40 percent, and in
Spain and Greece even above 50 percent.
Sweden
Luxembourg
Denmark
Ireland
Italy
France
Malta
Spain
Finland
Cyprus
Slovenia
Portugal
Greece
Estonia
Romania
Poland
Lithuania
Czech Republic
Latvia
Hungary
Croatia
Slovakia
Bulgaria
European Union (28 countries)
0
20
40
60
80
100
% of employed labour force
Women
Source: Eurostat.
34 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
Men
3.11
3.12 Employment, 2014*
Unemployment in the European Union, 2014
SelfTotal Employees employed
Greece
Spain
1,000­­ persons
Croatia
Cyprus
Portugal
Slovakia
Italy
Bulgaria
Ireland
Latvia
Total employed persons
8,677
7,220
1,457
Agriculture, forestry and
fishing
212­
95­
117­
Industry (excl. construction)
and energy
831­
793­
38­
Construction
459­
298­
161­
Trade, transport, hotels and
restaurants
Lithuania
France
Slovenia
Poland
Finland
2,167­
1,898­
269­
Information and
communication
260­
221­
39­
Financial services
237­
231­
6­
73­
62­
11­
Business services
1,683­
1,238­
444­
Government and care
2,392­
2,144­
248­
364­
240­
124­
Leasing and real estate
Belgium
Sweden
Hungary
Culture, recreation, other
services
Netherlands
Estonia
Romania
Denmark
United Kingdom
Czech Republic
Luxembourg
Malta
Austria1)
Germany
European Union (28 countries)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
%
Younger than 25 yrs
Total
2013.
Source: Eurostat.
1)
Labour and income 35
3.13 Unemployment by sex, age and ethnic
origin
2012
2013
2014
Jobs of employees
5,000
4,600
% of labour force
Total
5­.8
7­.3
7­.4
Men
5­.5
7­.2
7­.2
Women
6­.2
7­.3
7­.8
15–24 yrs
11­.7
13­.2
12­.7
25–34 yrs
5­.1
6­.8
6­.5
35–44 yrs
4­.5
5­.9
6­.2
45–54 yrs
4­.4
5­.6
5­.9
55–54 yrs
5­.3
6­.8
7­.7
65–74 yrs
3­.8
4­.8
5­.7
Native Dutch
4­.6
5­.8
6­.1
Western foreign
background
7­.3
8­.9
8­.7
14­.1
16­.5
16­.5
Non-western foreign
background
3.14
4,200
3,800
3,400
0
2008
2009
Women
2010
9,782,000 jobs in 2014
2013*
2014*
3.15 Jobs of employees, 2014*
Total
Men
Women
4,043
3,682
1,000 persons­
7,725
­
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
103­
69­
34­
Industry (excl. construction) and energy
808­
631­
176­
Construction
304­
269­
35­
2,019­
1,137­
882­
Information and communication
229­
168­
61­
Financial services
238­
132­
106­
Trade, transport, hotels and restaurants
Leasing and real estate
66­
35­
31­
Business services
1,361­
792­
569­
Government and care
2,299­
696­
1,603­
298­
114­
184­
Culture, recreation, other services
36 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2012*
Men
Total employees
b
B
2011
3.17
3.16 Benefit claimants, 31 December
2012
2013
2014*
x 1,000
Disability benefits
786­
787­
789­
for young persons (Wajong)
216­
228­
239­
under former scheme (WAO)
336­
397­
366­
for self-employed (WAZ)
21­
18­
16­
under current scheme (WIA)
160­
185­
208­
Unemployment (WW)
351­
441­
447­
Income support
428­
460­
482­
Benefits for older unemployed
(IOAW)
15­
18­
22­
Benefits for older former selfemployed (IOAZ)
2­
2­
2­
1,928­
1,919­
1,906­
75­
55­
42­
3,136­
3,223­
3,304­
Children's allowance
Survivors' benefits
State old age pension (AOW)
Net labour participation, 2014
%
100
80
60
40
20
0
15–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65–69 70–74
age in years
Women
Men
c
Ci
482,000 persons
claiming income support in 2014
Labour and income 37
Seven out of ten for wellbeing
85%
are
satisfied with life
68%
are satisfied
with financial situation
71%
are satisfied with
physical health
38 Trends in the
Netherlands
12
Nederland
2015 2015
4. Population and wellbeing
Trends
Seven marks out of ten for wellbeing
The Dutch give themselves 7 marks out of 10 for
their own wellbeing. This mark combines their
assessment of, among other things, their
financial situation, social participation, health
and trust in institutions. The mark for wellbeing
is an average: some people give themselves a
higher mark and are thus happier and more
satisfied than others.
least likely to be satisfied. Relatively more
women than men say they are happy.
4.1
Share of population happy and
satisfied with life, 1997–20141)
%
100
90
Large majority of people are happy
Most adults (i.e. aged 18 years and older) in the
Netherlands are happy. In 2014, 88 percent said
they were happy and 85 percent said they were
satisfied with their life. They do not judge all
aspects of their life equally positively, however,
and there are also some large differences
between population groups. Family composition
is a large factor in how happy people say they
are. People living together with a partner – with
or without children – are most likely to be
content. Single people and single parents are
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10
Satisfied
1)
’12 ’13 ’14
Happy
2011: break in series.
Population and wellbeing 39
Half of people with high income concerned
4.2
about financial future
Just under seven in ten adults in the
Netherlands say they are satisfied with their
financial situation, two in ten are neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, and one in ten are
dissatisfied. Six in ten people are concerned
about their future finances. Although people
with higher incomes are less worried than those
with lower incomes, half of them are concerned
about their financial future. For people with
lower incomes this is nearly 70 percent. Young
people (18–24 year-olds) and older people
(over 65 years) are less worried than those
aged 25–64 years.
Extent of concern about future financial situation
by level of income, 2013
1st quartile
(lowest incomes)
2nd quartile
3rd quartile
4th quartile
(highest incomes)
0
20
40
60
80
100
%
Very concerned
4.3
A little concerned
Not concerned
Satisfaction with physical health by frequency
of sport and exercise, 2013
People who exercise regularly are more
satisfied
In general terms, more people report being
satisfied with their mental than with their
physical health (85 versus 71 percent).
People who exercise or practice sports on a
regular basis are more likely to report being
satisfied with their physical health than those
who do not exercise or at least not regularly.
Bodyweight is also a factor in this respect:
people who are moderately overweight and to
40 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
Sport or exercise weekly
Sport or exercise once a month
Sport or exercise less
than once a month
Hardly any or no sport
or exercise
0
20
40
60
80
100
%
Satisfied
Not satisfied, not dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
4.4
Institutional trust by education level, 2013
a greater degree those who are severely
overweight are significantly less satisfied with
their physical health than people in the normal
weight range. Exercise and being overweight
also affect satisfaction with mental health,
although the differences are smaller.
Primary education
Lower secondary
Upper secondary
Bachelor's degree
More trust in police than in politics
Master's degree, PhD
0
20
40
60
80
100
% of population
Trusts parliament
4.5
Trusts judges
Trusts the police
Institutional trust by age, 2013
% of population
100
80
60
40
20
0
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65–74
75 or older
age in years
Trusts parliament
Trusts the police
Fewer than one in three people trust parliament. They have more faith in judges and the
police: just over two in three people say they
trust these institutions. Relatively more people
with a higher level of education trust institutions and politicians than those with a lower
level of education. Nearly half (49 percent) of
university graduates, for example, say they have
a high or reasonably high level of trust in parliament, compared with 22 percent of people with
the lowest education levels. In addition, older
people generally trust institutions less than
young people. This is the case for both trust in
parliament as well as trust in police and judges.
Trusts judges
Population and wellbeing 41
More men than women feel lonely
Just over seven in ten Dutch adults – and slightly
more women than men – are satisfied with their
social life. Only few people feel lonely.
Relatively more men, especially older men say
they are lonely. For them loneliness becomes an
important factor from the age of 55, while for
women this is 75 years.
4.6 Loneliness by sex and age, 2013
Degree of loneliness 1)
Average Standard error
Total
18–24 yrs
1­.3
0­.1
25–34 yrs
1­.4
0­.1
35–44 yrs
1­.6
0­.1
45–54 yrs
1­.8
0­.1
55–64 yrs
2­.1
0­.1
65–74 yrs
2­.1
0­.1
75 yrs or older
2­.6
0­.1
18–24 yrs
1­.4
0­.1
25–34 yrs
1­.5
0­.1
35–44 yrs
1­.9
0­.1
45–54 yrs
1­.9
0­.1
55–64 yrs
2­.5
0­.1
65–74 yrs
2­.5
0­.2
75 yrs or older
2­.7
0­.2
18–24 yrs
1­.1
0­.1
25–34 yrs
1­.4
0­.1
75+ age group
35–44 yrs
1­.4
0­.1
45–54 yrs
1­.7
0­.1
most lonely
55–64 yrs
1­.7
0­.1
65–74 yrs
1­.8
0­.2
75 yrs or older
2­.5
0­.2
Men
j
J
Women
On a scale of 0 to 12
(0 = least lonely, 12 = most lonely).
1)
42 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
4.7
Average scores on Personal Wellbeing Index by
background characteristics, 2013
Higher educated score highest for wellbeing
The Personal Wellbeing Index combines scores
on eight dimensions to one overall score. The
range of the score is 1 to 10, where 1 stands for
the lowest level wellbeing and 10 for the
highest possible level. The average score of the
adult population is 7.1. The score for lower
educated people and people with a nonwestern foreign background is slightly lower, at
6.6. People with a higher education level and
young people have relatively high wellbeing
scores. Higher educated groups score higher on
nearly all dimensions of wellbeing than lower
educated people.
Total
Sex
Men
Women
Age
18–24 yrs
25–44 yrs
45–64 yrs
65 yrs
Origin
Native Dutch
Western foreign background
Non-western background
Education level
Primary education
Lower secondary
Upper secondary
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree, PhD
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
score on wellbeing index
d
D
7.5 mark university graduates
give themselves for wellbeing
Population and wellbeing 43
4.8
Safety feelings, 2013
4.9
Satisfaction with neighbourhood by degree of urbanisation, 2013
Men
Total
11%
14%
Extremely urbanised
Strongly urbanised
Moderately urbanised
Hardly urbanised
Not urbanised
75%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
%
Satisfied
Women
Not satisfied, not dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
17%
20%
C
c
a
A
93% of homeowners satisfied with own home
63%
Does not feel safe
Feels neither safe nor not safe
Feels safe
44 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
78% of tenants satisfied with rental homes
4.10
Satisfaction with social life by sex and age, 2013
%
100
80
60
g
G
88% are satisfied
40
20
0
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65–74
with their social life
75 or older
age in years
Men
Women
4.11
e
E
9 in 10 people living
Satisfaction with relationship by sex and age,
2013
%
100
80
60
40
20
0
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65–74
75 or older
age in years
with a partner are happy
Men
Women
Population and wellbeing 45
ç
Health and welfare
�
4.7
km average distance to
nearest hospital
5.2
days average hospital
stay in 2012
67%
of the population took
prescribed medication in 2013
ç
Facts and figures
4.12
Population
100
The population of the Netherlands grew faster
in 2014 than in previous years, mainly as a
result of immigration: overall it increased by
73 thousand people. The number of births rose
for the first time in five years, the number of
immigrants even reached a record high.
Last year just over 181 thousand people came
from abroad to live in the Netherlands. At
144 thousand, the number of people who left
the country was around the same as the year
before. As a result, net immigration came to
37 thousand persons, twice as many as in 2013.
The largest group of immigrants, 24 thousand,
came from Poland. The number was even larger
than the 22 thousand native Dutch people
returning from other countries. Although many
Polish immigrants left the Netherlands again, at
the end of 2014 the number was 12 thousand
higher than at the start of the year. Poles are
now the fifth largest group of immigrants,
following those born in Turkey, Morocco,
Suriname and Indonesia.
Immigration, native Dutch and foreign backgrounds
x 1,000 persons
80
60
40
20
0
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014*
Western foreign background
Native Dutch
Non-western foreign background
4.13
Emigration, native Dutch and foreign backgrounds
x 1,000 persons
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000
2002
2004
2006
Native Dutch
2008
2010
2012
2014*
Western foreign background
Non-western foreign background
Population and wellbeing 47
4.14
7 miljoen
Main reasons to emigrate for native Dutch
with emigration plans, 2013
Work
35%
29%
Family or friends
Space, peace and quiet, nature
Tax burden
Education
2%
2%
Too crowded in the Netherlands
Degradation or crime
3%
11%
3%
Other
16%
4.15
People with a foreign background,
1 January 2015**
Western countries
Indonesia
Germany
Poland
Belgium
United Kingdom
Former Yugoslavia
Former Soviet Union
Italy
France
Spain
United States
Portugal
181,363 g
G
immigrants in 2014
Bulgaria
Romania
Hungary
Greece
Former Czechoslovakia
Non-western countries
Turkey
Morocco
Suriname
Netherlands Antilles
China
143,940 emigrants in 2014
48 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
f
F
Iraq
Afghanistan
Somalia
Iran
India
Syria
0
100
200
300
400
500
x 1,000
First generation
Second generation
4.18 Population forecast
4.16 Key population figures
2012
2013
2015
2014*
2040
2060
x 1,000
x 1,000
16,730­
16,780­
16,829­
Population, 1 January
16,902­
17,983­
18,057­
Births
176­
171­
175­
younger than 20 yrs
3,828­
3,891­
3,826­
Deaths
141­
141­
139­
20–39 yrs
4,135­
4,241­
4,376­
Immigration
158­
165­
181­
40–64 yrs
5,931­
5,098­
5,163­
Emigration
144­
146­
144­
65–79 yrs
2,273­
3,145­
2,735­
Net corrections
−34­
−28­
−24­
80 yrs or older
735­
1,607­
1,958­
49­
50­
73­
73­
10­
9­
live births
175­
185­
193­
deaths
139­
193­
199­
36­
−8­
−6­
immigration
181­
185­
187­
emigration (incl. administrative corrections)
144­
168­
171­
37­
17­
15­
1­.75
1­.75
Population on 1 January
Total growth
Population, year-on-year changes
of which
Population on 31 December
16,780­
16,829­
16,902­
net births
4.17
Population by age, 1 January 2015*
net migration (incl. administrative corrections)
Children per woman
7 miljoen
4%
13%
Total fertility rate
23%
years
20–39 yrs
40–64 yrs
35%
1­.71
Younger than 20 yrs
Life expectancy at birth
65–79 yrs
men
79­.9
84­.0
86­.9
80 yrs or older
women
83­.3
86­.8
89­.7
24%
%­
Population, 1 January
younger than 20 yrs
22­.6
21­.6
21­.2
20–64 yrs
59­.6
51­.9
52­.9
65 yrs or older
17­.8
26­.4
26­.0
Population and wellbeing 49
4.19
Average age at first marriage
4.21
yrs
Singles/single parents in LAT relationships,
by age, 2013
38
36
18–79 yrs
34
32
18–29 yrs
30
0
30–39 yrs
’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14
40–49 yrs
50–64 yrs
65–79 yrs
Men
Women
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
%
4.20
Marriage (incl. registered partnership) and
divorce, 2000–2014
x 1,000
100
80
60
40
22.5% of singles
20
0
’00
’01
’02
Divorces
’03
’04
’05
’06
Marriages
50 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13 ’14*
in LAT relationships
b
B
4.22
Expectations of 20–29-year-olds about
relationship formation , 2013
4.24
Dependency ratio
%
60
2% 3%
Married or intends to marry
20%
Living together or intends to live
together
Intends to have a LAT relationship
Does not want a relationship/
doesn't know
40
30
20
10
0
75%
4.23
50
Green burden
(under-20s :
20–64 year-olds)
Private households by size, 1 January 2015*
1995
2015*
Grey burden
(over 65s :
20–64-year-olds)
2035
2055
Total 7.7 million
5%
1 person
12%
38%
2 persons
3 persons
4 persons
12%
5 persons or more
33%
24,760 a
A
homeless people in 2013
Population and wellbeing 51
Health and welfare
The number of hospital admissions related to
cancer more than doubled in the period 2002–
2012, from just under 200 thousand to over
400 thousand. If the change in population
composition in the same period is taken into
account, the rise in the number of admissions
comes to around 75 percent. The increase was
mainly for day-patient admissions, whose
number tripled in 2002–2012. In 2012,
62 percent of cancer-related admissions were
day admissions, ten years previously this was
still only 40 percent.
The number of admissions for cardiovascular
disease also rose, from 284 thousand in 2002 to
395 thousand in 2012. After adjustment for the
change in population composition, this results in
an increase of 16 percent, and is thus smaller
than that for cancer. For cardiovascular disease,
too, the main rise was in the number of day
admissions, although most patients – nearly
70 percent – admitted with these diagnoses
stayed in hospital for at least one night.
52 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
4.25 Deaths by cause, 2013*
Men
Women
x 1,000
Total
68­.4
72­.9
Cancer
22­.9
19­.5
6­.2
4­.1
of which
trachea and lung
prostate
2­.5
breast
Respiratory disease
3­.2
6­.3
6­.0
18.0­
20­.4
acute heart infarct
3­.2
2­.5
cerebrovascular events
3­.7
5­.7
Disease of the digestive system
2­.1
2­.4
Mental disorders
3­.4
7­.0
External causes of death
3­.6
2­.9
road traffic accidents
0­.4
0­.1
suicide
1­.3
0­.5
12­.1
14­.7
Cardiovascular disease
of which
of which
Other causes of death
4.26
4.28
Most common chronic disorders, 2014
Persons prescribed migraine medication
by age, 2013*
%
Allergy
6
5
High blood pressure
4
3
Migraine or severe
headaches
2
1
0
Arthritis in hips
or knees
0–14
0
5
10
15–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65–74
20
15
75-plus
age in years
%
Women
Men
Women
Men
4.27
4.29
Healthy life expectancy, 2013
Life expectancy at birth
yrs
Life expectancy
(total)
100
Forecast →
80
In perceived good health
60
Without physical
limitations
40
Without chronic disease
0
20
In good mental
health
1995
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2005
2015
2025
2035
2045
2055
90 100
yrs
Men
Women
Men
Women
Population and wellbeing 53
4.30
Jobs in health care
4.32
2009=100
125
%
120
100
115
People receiving care under AWBZ/Wmo
funding by age, 2013*
80
110
105
60
100
40
95
20
90
2009
2010
2011
2012**
2013*
0
65–79
80–84
85–89
90 or older
age in years
Non-registered professions
Nurses
Doctors and dentists
Total
Non-residential care
Residential care
Other (para-)medical professions
4.31
Average profits of independent medical
specialists
x 1,000 euros
300
250
41,500 B
b
physiotherapists in 2013
200
150
100
50
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*
54 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
4.33
4.34
Overweight population by age, 2014
Overweight population (4 years and older)
%
50
Total
40
4–11 yrs
30
12–15 yrs
20
16–19 yrs
20–29 yrs
10
30–39 yrs
0
40–49 yrs
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2014
50–54 yrs
55–64 yrs
65–74 yrs
75 yrs or older
Moderately overweight
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Severely overweight
70
%
Moderately overweight
Severely overweight
4.35
Smokers (population 12 years and older)
%
40
30
20
10
0
2002
2004
Smokers
(<20 cigarettes a day)
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
Heavy smokers
(≥20 cigarettes a day)
Population and wellbeing 55
4.36
4.37 Care expenditure
Heavy and excessive drinkers by age, 2014
2012
Total
2013**
2014*
bn euros
12–15 yrs
16–19 yrs
20–29 yrs
30–39 yrs
Total
92.9
93.3
95.0
Hospitals, specialists’ practices
24.3
25.4
26.0
Care for the elderly
17.2
17.4
17.8
Care for the disabled
9.5
9.5
9.6
Primary care practices
7.7
7.5
7.7
Mental health care
6.6
6.6
6.6
27.6
26.8
27.4
5,551
5,630
14.5
14.5
Other
40–49 yrs
euros
50–54 yrs
Per capita
55–64 yrs
5,543
%­
65–74 yrs
As a percentage of GDP
14.5
75 yrs or older
0
5
10
15
20
%
Excessive drinkers (large quantities of alcohol on average)
Heavy drinkers (large quantity of alcohol on one day)
14% of 12–15-year-olds
drink alcohol
56 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
c
C
Leisure and culture
Eighty percent of the Dutch population went on
holiday at least once in 2014, and 2.8 times on
average. Dutch holidaymakers spent nearly half
of their over 35 million holidays in their own
country. For foreign holidays, most of them stay
in Europe. Just as in previous years Germany
was favourite in 2014: Dutch tourists spent
3.4 million holidays there. France came second
with 2.6 million and Spain with 1.9 million
holidays.
Mediterranean countries traditionally attract a
large proportion of Dutch holidaymakers,
especially Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Dutch
holidaymakers spent an average 702 euros per
person on foreign holidays. Domestic tourist
spending was much lower, at 166 euros per
person.
4.38
Top ten foreign destinations for Dutch
holidaymakers
Germany
France
Spain
Belgium
Austria
Italy
Great Britain
Turkey
Greece
Portugal
0
1.0
1.5
2.0
3.5
3.0
mln holidays
2.5
2013
2014
4.39
0.5
Average overnight stays per day in tourist
accommodation, 2014*
x 1,000
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
From the Netherlands
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
From abroad
Population and wellbeing 57
4.40
4.42 Hotels
Dutch and foreign hotel guests per province,
2014
2012
2013
2014*
number
North Holland
Hotels, boarding houses and
youth accommodation
South Holland
Zeeland
Establishments
Flevoland
Beds
3,505­
3,510­
3,561­
236,823­
244,145­
252,115­
North Brabant
average number per day x 1,000
Utrecht
Groningen
Guests
58­
59­
Limburg
Dutch
31­
32­
33­
foreign
27­
27­
30­
Overnight stays
100­
102­
109
Dutch guests
51­
52­
54­
foreign guests
49­
50­
55­
Total Netherlands
43­
44­
45­
of which in Amsterdam
11­
12­
13­
Overijssel
Gelderland
Friesland
Drenthe
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
%
Dutch guests
Foreign guests
4.41
Overnight business stays in hotels
Foreign guests in Dutch tourist accommodation,
2014
Total 14.0 million
9%
10%
29%
Germany
Other Europe
United Kingdom
Belgium
13%
North, Central and South America
Asia, Australia and Africa
13%
984,000 a
A
hotel guests from the US in 2014
26%
58 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
63­
4.44
4.43 Holidays of the Dutch population
Unit
2012
2013
2014
Holidays in the Netherlands
Holidays
x 1,000
18,120­
17,490­
17,176­
Total spending
bn euros
3­
3­
3­
euros
157­
163­
166­
Spending per holidaymaker
Population (18 years and older) by religious
denomination
%
50
45
40
35
30
25
Foreign holidays
Holidays
x 1,000
18,628­
18,093­
17,933­
Total spending
bn euros
13­
13­
13­
euros
692­
697­
702­
Total number of holidays
x 1,000
36,748­
35,583­
35,109­
Average number of holidays per
holidaymaker
number
2­.87
2.79
2­.80
Average number of long
holidays per holidaymaker
number
1­.96
1­.94
1­.93
Average number of short
holidays per holidaymaker
number
2­.04
1­.98
2­.01
Spending per holidaymaker
20
15
10
5
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Dutch Reformed
Other denomination
Roman Catholic
No religious denomination
a
A
56% of the population went
on more than one holiday in 2014
Population and wellbeing 59
4.45
4.46
Public libraries and items loaned out
x 1,000
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Volunteers (population 18 years and older),
2014
Sex
Men
Women
Age
18–24 yrs
25–34 yrs
35–44 yrs
Public libraries (left-hand scale)
45–54 yrs
Items loaned out (right-hand scale)
55–64 yrs
65–74 yrs
75 yrs or older
82% of sports clubs
used volunteers in 2013
d
D
Degree of urbanisation
Not urbanised
Hardly urbanised
Moderately urbanised
Strongly urbanised
Extremely urbanised
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
%
60 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
4.47
Theatre and concert attendance
x mln
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
’99
’00
Dance perfomances
’01
’02
’03
Other performances
’04
’05
Cabaret
’06
’07
’08
Musical theater
’09
Theatre
’10
’11
’12
’13
Concerts
c
C
26,484,000 museum visits in 2013
Population and wellbeing 61
4.48
Contact with family, friends and neighbours,
2014
4.49
Use of social media by age, 2014
%
100
Posting messages on chat sites
or online forums
90
80
70
Reading or writing weblogs
60
50
40
30
Text messaging
20
10
0
Family
Friends
Neighbours
Daily
Less than once a month
At least once a week
Seldom or never
Professional network
Other social network
At least once a month
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90 100
%
62 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
12–24 yrs
45–64 yrs
25–44 yrs
65–74 yrs
75 yrs or older
4.50
Use of mobile internet by device
4.52
% of internet users
Online shopping, international comparison,
2014
100
90
United Kingdom
80
Denmark
70
Sweden
60
Germany
50
Netherlands
40
Finland
30
France
20
Belgium
10
EU-27
0
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Spain
2014
Portugal
Italy
0
Tablet
4.51
Laptop
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
% of internet users aged 16–74 yrs
Smart phone
Source: Eurostat.
Use of social media, 2014
90% of the population
Text messaging
go online every day
Other social network
Professional network
Posting messages on chat sites
or online forums
d
D
Reading or
writing weblogs
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
% of internet users
Population and wellbeing 63
Vandalism
45%
decrease in recorded
vandalism incidents from 2005 to 2014
62%
fewer people suspected of
vandalism offences in 2013 than in 2005
64 Trends in the
Netherlands
16
Nederland
2015 2015
5. Public sector
Trends
More crime, fewer victims
The number of registered criminal offences has
been decreasing for a number of years now. The
share of the population who report having been
the victim of a frequently occurring crime has
also been falling almost continuously for the
last ten years. What has not changed compared
with ten years ago is that officially registered
offences and crime and feelings of unsafety as
experienced by the population are a larger
problem within than outside the largest cities.
vandalism, violent and sexual offences, and
traffic and drugs offences also fell substantially
in this period.
5.1
Registered offences
x 1,000
1,500
1,200
900
Fewer registered offences
Dutch police recorded 1 million criminal
offences in 2014; this is 7 percent fewer than in
2013 and the strongest decrease in the last ten
years. Registered crime has been decreasing for
a number of years now and has fallen by one
quarter in the last decade. While nearly 46
larceny and burglary incidents per thousand
inhabitants were reported in 2005, by 2014 this
had fallen to 34 per thousand. Incidents of
600
300
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Public sector 65
5.2 Registered crime per 1,000 inhabitants
50
40
30
20
10
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Property offences
Violent and sexual offences
Traffic offences
Offences involving firearms or other weapons
Vandalism and public order offences
Other offences under the Penal Code
Drugs-related offences
Other offences
Higher crime rates in major cities
Fewer victims
Crime rates are higher in the four largest cities of the Netherlands.
Amsterdam recorded 115 crimes per thousand inhabitants, and in
Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, police recorded between 95
and 100 offences per thousand inhabitants. But in these large
cities, too, the number of crimes has decreased in the last ten
years. Registered crime per thousand inhabitants fell by 18 and
19 percent respectively in The Hague and Amsterdam, by more
than one quarter in Rotterdam, and by nearly 40 percent in
Utrecht. Overall across the Netherlands, 28 percent fewer crimes
were recorded per thousand inhabitants.
Not only officially registered crime is decreasing; the number
of people who report having been the victim of a criminal
offence also fell in the period 2005–2014. As police
registrations do not cover all offences, Statistics Netherlands
uses surveys to ask people aged 15 years and older how
often they have been the victim of a criminal offence. In
2005, nearly three in ten Dutch people said they had been a
crime victim, in 2014 this had fallen to just under two in ten
of the population. At the same time as the decrease in the
victim rate, the number of people reporting they did not
66 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
5.3
Decrease in registered crime per 1,000 inhabitants
2005–2014
Less than 10%
10–<20%
always feel safe also decreased, although by
slightly less. In 2005 nearly half of the
population said they did not always feel safe, in
2014 this had fallen to one in three people.
20–<30%
30–<40%
Most victims in major cities
40% or more
Relatively more inhabitants of the four largest
cities had been victims of frequently occurring
offences: 28 percent compared with 19 percent
on average nationwide. This is consistent with
police registrations, which record relatively
more crimes in the major cities. In many other
municipalities with over 70 thousand
inhabitants, too, people are more likely than
average to have been the victim of a crime. The
victim rate of 31 percent in Amsterdam is
substantially higher than the nationwide
average.
Nearly 36 percent of the population say they do
not always feel safe. This percentage is higher
in four-fifths of municipalities with over
70 thousand inhabitants. In Maastricht nearly
48 percent of inhabitants sometimes felt afraid.
In Gouda, Utrecht, and Leidschendam-Voorburg,
too, relatively many inhabitants say they do not
feel safe sometimes. People living in some
municipalities with over 70 thousand
Not available
Public sector 67
inhabitants feel safer than average, however: in
Súdwest Fryslân, for example, only 27 percent
of inhabitants do not always feel safe.
5.5 Crime victim rates and unsafety feelings
2005=100
100
90
80
70
60
50
2005
5.4
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Unsafety feelings in place of
residence, 2014
Total victim rates
In own home
Unsafety feelings
5.6 Registered crime
In shopping area
In city centre
2012*
Total offences recorded by police and military
police
Around train station
In nightlife areas
Property offences
Feeling unsafe
in the place of residence
2014*
1,138­
1,087­
1,001­
697­
682­
621­
of which
0
Women
2013*
x 1,000
In public transport
Men
50
10
20
30
40
% who sometimes feel unsafe
aggravated theft and burglary
15­
13­
10­
theft and burglary without violence
637­
632­
574­
Vandalism and public order offences
162­
140­
133­
Violent and sexual offences
110­
102­
96­
12­
11­
12­
130­
124­
114­
17­
16­
16­
Offences involving firearms/other weapons
7­
6­
6­
Other offences
4­
4­
3­
Other crimes under the Penal Code
Traffic offences
Drugs-related offences
68 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
5.7 Crime victim rates and unsafety feelings in municipalities with over 70 thousand inhabitants, 2014
Most people who sometimes do not feel safe
Most victims
Amsterdam
Maastricht
Leeuwarden
Gouda
Groningen
Leidschendam-Voorburg
Utrecht
Utrecht
Delft
Rotterdam
Maastricht
Heerlen
Rotterdam
Nijmegen
Breda
Hilversum
The Hague
The Hague
Oss
Sittard-Geleen
Netherlands total
Netherlands total
Roosendaal
Haarlemmermeer
Emmen
Purmerend
Alphen aan den Rijn
Emmen
Spijkenisse
Helmond
Ede
Almelo
Súdwest Fryslân
Apeldoorn
Apeldoorn
Oss
Westland
LeidschendamVoorburg
Westland
Zoetermeer
Súdwest Fryslân
Deventer
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
10
20
%
Victim rate
People who do not feel safe
30
40
50
%
People who do not feel safe
Victim rate
Public sector 69
ç
Diplomas in
2013/’14
�
177,628
mbo diplomas
65,757
hbo diplomas
71,338
wo diplomas
ç
Facts and figures
Education
Secondary education in the Netherlands evolved
in the course of the twentieth century: from
education for the elite few to education for
everyone. The increase in the number of pupils
early on in the century was connected with the
process of industrialisation and the subsequent
increased demand for skilled workers. Later on
– after the World War II – the number of pupils
also rose very sharply. Alongside economic growth
and extended compulsory education, the
introduction of new legislation in 1968 and the
post-war baby boom pushed up secondary pupil
numbers. New tracks of secondary education
replaced older forms, and the highest track was
extended by one year. Lower vocational education
was also incorporated into secondary education.
The ‘bridge year’ was introduced, postponing the
definite tracking of first year secondary pupils by
one year. And it became easier for pupils to pass
into higher tracks. The saturation point was
reached in the mid-1980s: since then the number
of pupils has fluctuated with the numbers in the
corresponding age groups in the population.
5.8
Education spending per diploma, 2013*
Primary education
Vmbo
Havo
Vwo
Hbo
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
0
30
60
90
120
150
1,000 euros
5.9 Secondary education
Unit
2012/’13 2013/ ’14** 2014/ ’15*
Schools
absolute
658­
658­
.
Pupils
x 1,000
961­
974­
981­
General year
410­
414­
441­
Vwo
162­
161­
164­
Havo
154­
157­
160­
Vmbo combined track
108­
112­
114­
Vmbo advanced vocational track
100­
102­
100­
28­
29­
29­
Practical education
Public sector 71
5.10 Pupils and percentage of 12–17-year-olds in secondary education since 1900
x 1,000
1,500
%
100
1,200
80
900
60
600
40
300
20
0
0
1900/’01
1915/’16
1930/’31
1960/’61
Spending on education institutions per pupil/student
Primary education
Secondary education and mbo
Higher education
Higher education
excl. R&D
0
2011
2012
72 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
1975/’76
1990/’91
2005/’06 2014/’15*
Pupils as % of all 12–17-year-olds (right-hand scale)
Pupils (left-hand scale)
5.11
1945/’46
2
2013*
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1,000 euros
English definitions of Dutch education levels
avo = general secondary education
bbl = apprenticeship-based track of mbo
bol = school-based track of mbo
havo = senior general secondary education
mbo = senior secondary vocational education
vavo = basic secondary education for adults
vmbo = preparatory secondary vocational
education
vwo = pre-university education
hbo = higher professional
wo =university
5.12
Education level of population aged 15–74 years,
2014
5.14 Education spending
,
2011
,
10%
1%
10%
Primary education
Total
2012
2013*
mln euros
,
,
39,971­
40,465­
41,741­
33,187­
33,091­
34,327­
Vmbo, mbo level 1, avo first stage
18%
21%
Havo, vwo, mbo levels 2–4
By government
Bachelor's degree
of which on
Master's degree, PhD
primary education
10,881­
10,812­
11,142­
Unknown
secondary education, mbo
13,850­
14,062­
14,519­
8,456­
8,218­
8,666­
3,231­
3,780­
3,812­
higher education
40%
By households
of which on
primary education
5.13 Primary education
Unit
Schools**
2011/’12 2012/’13
2013/’14**
6,808­
6,743­
6,651­
Special-needs primary schools
304­
296­
291­
Other special-needs schools
327­
322­
321­
Pupils*
Primary education
361­
388­
1,411­
1,361­
1,386­
higher education
1,497­
2,058­
2,038­
3,032­
3,233­
3,271­
By private sector
of which on
primary education
absolute
Primary education
324­
secondary education, mbo
41­
60­
63­
secondary education, mbo
1,540­
1,711­
1,680­
higher education
1,450­
1,461­
1,527­
521­
360­
331­
13­
By rest of the world
of which on
x 1,000
1,517­
1,498­
1,477­
Special-needs primary schools
42­
40­
38­
Other special-needs schools
70­
70­
71­
primary education
21­
27­
secondary education, mbo
234­
45­
14­
higher education
266­
288­
305­
%
As % of GDP (pre-revision)
,
6.7
6­.3
6­.5
,
Public sector 73
5.15 Mbo and adult education
Unit
Institutions
absolute
Students
x 1,000
2012/’13
2013/’14*
2014/’15*
69­
69­
69­
511­
500­
482­
Bol
360­
371­
378­
Bbl
151­
129­
104­
Level 1
23­
20­
13­
Level 2
118­
111­
97­
Level 3
140­
147­
129­
Level 4
230­
221­
243­
Adult education*
35­
33­
14­
Other education
22­
20­
.
Vavo
13­
13­
14­
2013/’14*
2014/’15*
4,374 university students
5.16 Higher education
x 1,000
Students
Hbo
422­
440­
446­
Wo
241­
250­
257­
Hbo bachelor's degree
59­
61­
.
Wo bachelor's degree
33­
33­
.
Wo master's degree
33­
34­
.
b
B
reading foreign languages in 2014/’15
8,291 university students
d
D
reading informatics in 2014/’15
Graduates*
74 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
a
A
be primary school teacher in 2014/’15
Mbo (excl. exam-only
students)
2012/’13
4,897 men training to
5.17
Security
Spending on security
In 2013, 12.9 billion euros was spent on security in
the Netherlands, of which 5.8 billion euros on
prevention. Following a substantial rise in 2009,
security spending has been fairly stable.
bn euros
14
12
10
8
6
Asylum seekers
4
Dutch authorities received 23.9 thousand
applications for asylum in 2014, 66 percent more
than in 2013. Most asylum seekers came from Syria,
as a result of the conflict there. The number of
requests from Syrian refugees rose to 9.5 thousand,
and accounted for nearly 40 percent of the total.
Relatively many Eritreans – 4 thousand – also
applied for asylum in the Netherlands.
2
0
2003
2004
2005
2006
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012 2013*
Other
Enforcement
Detection
Prevention
5.18
2007
First asylum requests by nationality
2013 (total 14,395)
2012 (total 9,715)
2014 (total 23,935)
4%
9%
5%
21%
36%
Somali
33%
Syrian
14%
40%
49%
10%
Eritrean
Iranian
4%
9%
Iraqi
18%
5%
5%
7%
8%
Afghan
2%
2%
Other/stateless
16%
3%
Public sector 75
Fire services
Dutch fire services received nearly 139 thousand
alarm calls in 2013: 87 thousand concerning fires
and 52 thousand requests for assistance. The
number of fire alarm calls was 9 percent lower
than in the previous year, the number of requests
for assistance was 12 percent higher. False alarms
accounted for 38 percent of all calls.
145 murder and
manslaughter victims in 2013
5.20
5.19 Alarm calls received by fire services
2011
b
B
2012
2013*
107­.2
95­.6
86­.7
outdoor fires
25­.7
19­.7
19­.3
indoor fires
14­.5
14­.4
15­.0
chimney fires
1­.8
1­.7
1­.7
false alarms
65­.2
59­.8
50­.6
Requests for assistance
48­.3
46­.5
52­.2
assistance inside buildings
21­.0
17­.8
28­.4
assistance not inside buildings
23­.8
25­.2
21­.0
3­.4
3­.5
2­.8
Crime victim rates, 2014
x 1,000
Fire alarms
Total
of which
Vandalism offences
Property offences
of which
false alarms
Violent offences
0
76 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
10
Total
25–44 yrs
15–24 yrs
45–64 yrs
20
30
40
victims as % of age group concerned
65 yrs or older
5.21
5.22
Arrested suspects by ethnic origin,
12 years and older
Sentencing by first instance court, 2013
Total 117.6 thousand
9%
27%
Total
13%
Community service
Custodial sentence
Fine
Special measures
Native Dutch
Secondary penalties
Foreign background
22%
29%
Western
foreign background
Non-western
foreign background
of whom
5.23 Convictions by first instance court
Moroccan
2011
2012
2013
x 1,000
Turkish
Netherlands Antillean
and Aruban
Total convictions
93­.8
86­.0
83­.5
Penal code
65­.8
60­.9
58­.6
property offences
33­.0
31­.2
31­.0
vandalism and public order offences
11­.0
9­.8
8­.8
violent and sexual offences
18­.5
17­.5
16­.9
of which
Surinamese
Traffic offences
Other
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
14­.9
14­.6
15­.0
Drugs-related offences
6­.4
6­.2
6­.8
Other offences
6­.7
4­.4
3­.2
% of ethnic group concerned
2012
2013*
Source: Statistics Netherlands, National Police Services Agency.
Public sector 77
Dairy cows in 2014
70%
out to pasture
of all dairy cows put
85
dairy cows on average
dairy farm
8,100
litres average
annual milk yield per dairy cow
78 Trends in the
Netherlands
20
Nederland
2015 2015
6. Environment
Trends
Over one million dairy cows graze outdoors
Robotic milking keeps cows indoors
Nearly 1.1 million dairy cows were put out
to pasture in 2013; this is 70 percent of the
1.7 million dairy cattle in the Netherlands.
Efforts by the dairy sector to preserve outdoor
grazing for cows seem to have had an effect.
The introduction of robotic milking systems
has made it more difficult to incorporate
outdoor grazing in dairy farm management.
The first robotic systems were introduced in
the Netherlands in 1992, but use only became
more widespread after 2000. Cows milked by
automatic systems are usually milked more
frequently, up to three times a day. Although
robotic milking is usually done indoors, mobile
systems have been developed which makes
it possible to milk outdoors. Dairy factories
encourage dairy farmers to supply milk from
cows grazing outdoors by offering higher prices
for this milk.
The largest percentages of outdoor grazing
dairy cattle are found in the typically peaty
areas of the provinces Utrecht, North Holland
and South Holland. Soil acidity in peatland
areas is often too high and the ground too wet
for arable farming, and thus mainly suited for
grazing and hay. Areas more suitable for arable
crops have less grassland and fewer dairy cows
out to pasture. In the east of North Brabant and
northern Limburg, fewer cows are put out to
pasture as these are intensive livestock farming
areas where land is used to grow fodder crops
and for manure spreading.
Grassland accounts for half of farmland
The share of grassland in total agricultural land
has fallen since the 1970s, but is still 54 percent
of all farmland. Grass is not only used to graze
Environment 79
dairy cattle, but also for the production of cattle
fodder. In 2013, 86 percent of cut grass was
used for silage, increasingly in plastic-wrapped
bales. Five percent of grass is cut for hay,
5 percent is used to feed indoor cattle and the
remainder is used for other purposes. In 2013,
the total crop of grass silage was 5.5 billion kg
of dry matter, the total hay crop was 208 million
kg of dry matter.
Dairy cattle rising again since 2012
The number of dairy cows has decreased by one
third since 1980, from 2.4 million to 1.5 million
in 2012. The strong decrease after 1984
coincided with the introduction of milk quotas
in the European Union. As European farmers
were producing more milk than consumers
could eat and drink, the EU bought up the milk
creating the so-called milk lakes and butter
mountains. Increasing global demand for dairy
has eliminated the need for milk quotas, and
since 2012 the number of dairy cows and young
dairy cattle have been increasing. The number
of animals rose by 118 thousand (10 percent)
from 2012 to 2014, to 1.3 million, as dairy
farmers anticipated the abolition of milk quotas
on 1 April 2015.
80 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
6.1
Percentage of dairy cows grazing on grass per
agricultural region, 2013
Less than 50%
50–<70%
70–<80%
80–<90%
Mutatie
90% or more
6.2
Organic dairy cattle and farms
25,000
380
24,000
370
23,000
360
22,000
350
21,000
340
0
0
2011
Dairy cows
2012
2013
2014
Farms (right-hand scale)
1.5% of Dutch
dairy herd is organic
a
A
The organic dairy herd showed a similar growth.
The number of dairy cows rose by 8 percent
from 2012 to 2014, to 25 thousand, the number
of young cattle by 10 percent to 19 thousand.
Organic dairy cows and young cattle account for
only 1.5 percent of the total dairy herd in the
Netherlands, and the share is increasing only
slowly.
Dutch cows produce 22 litres of milk per day
In 1950, an average Dutch dairy cow produced
just under 4.0 thousand litres of milk a year.
By 2000 this had risen to 7.3 thousand litres,
and today it is 8.1 thousand litres, or 22 litres
per cow per day. In 2014 the dairy herd in the
Netherlands produced a total of 12.5 billion
litres of milk.
Nearly all the milk is delivered to dairy factories,
which convert half of it into cheese and one
tenth into milk for consumers. The remaining
milk is used to make butter, cream, yoghurt,
desserts, ice cream, condensed milk and milk
powder. In 2014, dairy factories produced
768 million kg of factory and processed cheese,
146 million kg of butter, 205 million kg of milk
powder and 384 million kg of condensed milk.
Just over 200 million litres of milk does not go
Environment 81
6.3
Dairy farms in the Netherlands
mln cows
90
4.5
80
4.0
70
3.5
60
3.0
50
2.5
40
2.0
30
1.5
20
1.0
10
0.5
0
0
1984
1986
1988
Dairy cows per farm
1990
1992
1994
1996
Farms with dairy cows (x 1,000)
1998
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
Dairy cows (right-hand scale)
to factories but stays on the farm and is used to rear calves,
or to make regional products such as herb cheese and ice
cream.
Increase in scale
The number of farms with dairy cattle fell by nearly
11 thousand in the period 2000–2014, to 18.6 thousand. As
the number of dairy cows rose to 1.7 million, the result was
a substantial increase in scale. The number of dairy cows per
82 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2000
farm rose from 51 to 85 between 2000 and 2014. In 2000,
320 farms in the Netherlands kept 150 dairy cows or more.
By 2014 this had risen to 1,700 farms. The number of farms
with 250 cows or more rose from 45 to nearly 300 in the
same period.
Milk production worth 5 billion euros
Total production of the Dutch agriculture and horticulture
sector was worth more than 27.5 billion euros in 2014.
6.4 Manure and mineral production
2012
2013
2014*
71,207­
73,155­
74,089­
55,416­
57,428­
58,389­
1,699­
1,719­
1,710­
929­
919­
895­
11,571­
11,472­
11,424­
1,416­
1,442­
1,500­
176­
175­
172­
mln kg
Manure from livestock
of which
cattle
sheep and goats
horses and ponies
pigs
poultry
rabbits and fur-bearing animals
Arable crops accounted for 47 percent of this
amount. Livestock farming for 41 percent
(mainly milk, meat and eggs) and agricultural
services for 9 percent. The production value of
milk - 5 billion euros - accounted for 18 percent
of the total production value. The milk value
fluctuated around an overall rising trend in the
period 1995–2014. The variations were mainly
the result of erratic developments in milk prices.
Most manure produced by cattle
Mineral excretion
Nitrogen
461­
473­
480­
Phosphate
161­
166­
168­
Potassium
505­
517­
525­
€27.5 bn production value of
In addition to milk, cows also produce manure.
Dutch livestock produced a total 74.1 billion kg
of manure in 2014. Dairy cows accounted for
over 40 billion kg of this, 55 percent of the total.
Pigs contributed 15 percent, poultry 2 percent
and beef cattle 23 percent.
a
A
agriculture and horticulture
Environment 83
Arable crops in 2014
∫
3,871,000 ,000
kg
of ware potatoes
1,220,000,000
kg
of onions
18,000,000
kg
of asparagus
Facts and figures
6.5
Electricity consumption and gross domestic product
% year-on-year change
Energy
15
Following two years of decrease, electricity
production rose by 2 percent in 2014 to
103 million kWh. The increase was mainly the
result of a substantial rise in demand from
outside the Netherlands.
Exports of electricity rose by 21 percent from
2014 to 2013, to reach a new record. Exports to
Belgium and the United Kingdom in particular
rose sharply. The increased demand from
Belgium was the result of the shutdown of
two nuclear reactors there and the subsequent
decrease in domestic electricity production.
For the first time in the Netherlands, wind was
the main source of renewable electricity in
2014. Electricity generated by wind was around
8 percent higher in 2014 than in 2013, while
production from biomass fell by 16 percent.
Total production of renewable electricity in
2014 was 11.7 billion kWh, slightly less than in
2013. For the fifth year in a row, production of
renewable electricity is around 10 percent of
the amount used.
10
5
0
–5
–10
1951
1958
1965
1972
1979
1993
2000*
2007*
2014*
Gross domestic product
(% year-on-year volume change)
Electricity consumption
(% year-on-year change)
6.6
1986
Energy supply by source
petajoules
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
’46 ’50 ’54 ’58 ’62 ’66 ’70
Coal and
coal products
’74 ’78
Oil and
oil products
’82 ’86
’90 ’94
Natural gas
’98 ’02
’06 ’10 ’14
Other
Environment 85
6.7
6.8
Price of regular unleaded 95 petrol
Electricity production by source
euros/litre
bn kWh
2.00
140
120
1.80
100
80
1.60
60
1.40
40
20
1.20
0
0
'98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14*
2010
6.9
2011
2012
2013
2014
Natural gas
Nuclear energy and other
Coal
Biomass
Other fossil fuels
Wind, solar and hydro-energy
Electricity and oil consumption
% year-on-year change
20
15
10
5
0
–5
–10
–15
–20
–25
2005
2006
Electricity
2007
Oil
86 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
6.10
Average electricity consumption of detached
houses, 2013
6.11 Electricity balance sheet
2012
1,250–4,000 kWh
0% of meer
4,001–4,500 kWh
Electricity supply
4,501–5,000 kWh
of which
5,001–7,000 kWh
Mutatie
2013
2014*
119.1
117.3
bn kWh
production
119.6
102.5
102.5
central
64.0
63.1
67.5
local
38.5
37.8
35.0
imports
32,2
33.3
32.9
exports (-)
15.0
15.0
18.1
119.6
119.1
117.3
101.8
101.4
99.1
14.1
14.2
14.2
3.7
3.5
4.0
4.5
4.5
4.4
Electricity consumption
of which
via public network
via self-generation networks
in production process
Net losses
(rechteras)
Environment 87
6.12
Average gas consumption of detached houses, 2013
6.13 Average energy consumption in private
homes
2011
1,250–2,000 m3
Mutatie
2,751–3,000 m3
Natural gas consumption
3,001–3,500 m3
of which
3,501–6,000 m3
2012
2013
1,500­
1,600­
m3
2,001–2,750 m3
apartments
1,450­
950­
1,000­
1,050­
terraced houses
1,300­
1,400­
1,500­
corner houses
1,550­
1,650­
1,800­
semi-detached houses
1,900­
2,000­
2,100­
detached houses
2,400­
2,600­
2,800­
3,250­
3,200­
3,150­
apartments
2,250­
2,200­
2,200­
terraced houses
3,300­
3,250­
3,300­
corner houses
3,500­
3,400­
3,400­
semi-detached houses
3,950­
3,850­
3,850­
detached houses
4,600­
4,500­
4,450­
kWh
Electricity consumption
of which
88 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
6.14
Provincial shares of national electricity
consumption by ICT, 2013
6.15 Renewable electricity
2011
2012
2013 2014*
% of electricity consumption
Gross production (normalised)
8.4%
1.9%
9­.84
10­.48
10­.07
10­.03
hydro-electricity
0­.08
0­.08
0­.08
0­.09
wind energy
3­.87
4­.13
4­.51
4­,98
solar electricity
0­.08
0­.21
0­,43
biomass
5­.80
6­.05
5­.05
of which
.
4­.34
1.4%
43.3%
3.2%
4.0%
6.5%
6.1%
b
B
12.7%
0.5%
8.6%
3.2%
8% rise in electricity from wind
(rechteras)
Environment 89
Agriculture
Pear growers picked a record crop of
349 million kg in 2014, 7 percent more than in
2013. The increase was the result of a larger
area of pear trees and favourable growing
conditions. At 353 million kg, the apple crop
was slightly larger than the pear crop. It was the
second largest apple crop ever, after the record
in 2011.
The combined area of apple and pear cultivation
has remained stable in recent years at around
16.5 thousand ha. In 1980 the total area was
23.0 thousand ha, more than a quarter larger
than in 2014. In this period the area of apple
trees more than halved, from 17.2 thousand to
7.9 thousand ha. The area of pear trees rose by
50 percent, from 5.7 to 8.6 thousand ha.
90 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
6.16
Percentage of cultivated area with apple trees by
agricultural region, 2014
Less than 0.1%
90% of meer
0.1–0.4%
0.4–0.9%
1.0–1.9%
2% or more
6.17
Percentage of cultivated area with pear trees by
agricultural region, 2014
6.18 Livestock on farms, 1 April
2011
Less than 0.1%
0% of meer
Mutatie
2012
2013
2014
431­
1,000 animals
0.1–0.4%
Grazing livestock
0.5–0.9%
Goats
380­
397­
413­
1.0–1.9%
Horses and ponies
137­
132­
131­
127­
2% or more
Cattle
3,885­
3,879­
3,999­
4,068­
Scheep
1,088­
1,043­
1,034­
959­
96,919­
95,273­
97,719­
103,039­
laying hens
44,460­
42,810­
44,816­
46,570­
meat chickens
43,912­
43,846­
44,242­
47,020­
2,324­
1,822­
1,709­
1,699­
Rabbits
302­
327­
311­
321­
Fur-bearing animals
978­
1,031­
1,031­
1,003­
12,429­
12,234­
12,212­
12,238­
piglets
5,297­
5,180­
5,274­
5,382­
breeding pigs
1,227­
1,180­
1,184­
1,199­
porkers
5,905­
5,874­
5,754­
5,657­
Non-grazing livestock
Chickens
of which
Other poultry
(incl. ducks, turkeys)
Pigs
of which
x (rechteras)
Environment 91
6.19 Arable crops
6.20 Apple and pear crops
2011
2012
2013
2014
2012
mln kg
2013
2014*
mln kg
Potatoes, ware
3,857­
3,384­
3,481­
3,871­
Apples
281­
314­
353­
Potatoes, seed
1,313­
1,479­
1,400­
1,475­
Elstar
115­
123­
140­
Potatoes, for processing
2,163­
1,904­
1,695­
1,754­
Golden Delicious
20­
16­
18­
Sugar beet
5,858­
5,735­
5,727­
6,822­
Jonagold/Jonagored
73­
92­
100­
Onions
1,582­
1,330­
1,200­
1,220­
Junami
Barley
205­
206­
208­
197­
Oats
8­
10­
10­
10­
Rye
6­
9­
7­
7­
1,175­
1,302­
1,335­
1,304­
10­
12­
10­
9­
Wheat
Triticale
8­
12­
16­
Kanzi
14­
17­
18­
Rode Boskoop
14­
16­
19­
3­
3­
2­
199­
327­
349­
12­
24­
20­
161­
256­
275­
17­
28­
30­
5­
8­
9­
Rubens
Pears
Beurré Alexandre Lucas
Conference
Corn-cob mix (65% dry matter)
75­
63­
68­
67­
204­
191­
185­
173­
10,559­
10,670­
10,268­
10,788­
8­
13­
11­
10­
Sweet corn (65% dry matter)
Fodder maize (35% dry matter)
Flax
b
B
11,440 ha
of tulips in 2014
92 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
Doyenne du Comice
Stewing pears
E
e
d
D
557,328,600 meat chickens slaughtered in 2014
220 farmers grew Brussels
sprouts in 2014
6.22
6.21 Meat and dairy production
2011
2012
2013
2014
Average number of livestock per farm
2000=100
300
mln kg
Meat production
calves
219­
215­
212­
217
mature cattle
163­
159­
156­
159
sheep and goats
pigs
meat chickens
Unprocessed cow's milk
delivered to dairy factories
15­
15­
14­
14
1,347­
1,332­
1,282­
1,371
809­
857­
888­
920
11,642­
11,675­
12,213­
12,469­
250
200
150
100
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
Milk products
butter
129­
133­
137­
146­
factory cheese
750­
764­
794­
768­
condensed milk
354­
371­
360­
384­
milk powder
193­
187­
194­
205­
6.23
Cattle
Chickens
Pigs
Goats
Age of heads of farms and horticulture businesses
2004 (total 79,809)
2014 (total 61,258)
3%
4%
20%
Sheep
23%
younger than 35 yrs
14%
35–44 yrs
23%
45–54 yrs
55–64 yrs
65 yrs or older
27%
26%
28%
32%
Environment 93
6.24
Vegetables grown under glass
2000 (total 3,027 ha)
2014 (total 3,644 ha)
2007 (total 3,445 ha)
3%
3%
3%
18%
22%
Aubergines
16%
Cucumbers
Peppers
37%
Tomatoes
45%
49%
34%
32%
38%
6.25
Use of pesticides in agriculture
c
C
1,000 kg active ingredient
7,000
6,000
900,000,000 kg
5,000
4,000
tomato crop in 2014
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1995
1998
2000
2004
Insecticides
Weed killers
Fungicides
Other
94 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
2008
2012*
54,000,000 kg
strawberry crop in 2014
b
B
6.26
Living Planet Index for the Netherlands
Nature and wildlife
1990=100
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1990
6.27
1995
2005
2000
2010
Air pollution, emissions by source, 2013
Greenhouse gases
Acidifiers
14%
23%
15%
5%
17%
20%
51%
17%
5%
6%
24%
3%
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Refineries
Transport
Energy companies
Other
2013
According to the Living Planet Index (LPI), an
indicator of the state of global biological
diversity, biodiversity has declined substantially
worldwide. Statistics Netherlands has calculated
this index for the Netherlands. Changes in
populations of vertebrate species are an
important factor in the calculation of the index.
The Dutch LPI reflects the overall average trend
of mammals, breeding birds, reptiles and
amphibians.
This group has increased by 22 percent since
1990, mainly as a result of rises in populations
of mammals, birds and reptiles in this period.
Amphibian populations did not increase. The
largest difference with the global LPI is that the
Dutch version does not take fish species into
account.
Although the Dutch trend seems to be at odds
with the global one, a breakdown of the LPI
into country groups by level of income (using
World Bank criteria) shows that the LPI for highincome countries has risen (by 9.7 percent),
which is in line with the Dutch index.
According to the WWF the increase is a sign of
recovery after the severe decline in biodiversity
which started before 1970. The WWF also
Environment 95
indicates that recovery is partly the result of
richer countries making more financial resources
available for this purpose.
6.29 Industrial waste, 2013*
Total
Recycling
Final waste
treatment
20,840­
3,552­
94­
mln kg
Non-hazardous waste
24,392­
of which from
mining
6.28
Emissions of acidifiers and greenhouse gases
209­
115­
energy supply
1,335­
1,297­
38­
water supply and waste treatment
8,735­
6,033­
2,702­
14,112­
13,395­
717­
8,454­
8,298­
156­
581­
438­
141­
manufacturing
1990=100
120
of which from
food, drinks and tobacco
100
chemical industry
80
basic metal industry
1,650­
1,610­
40­
60
other manufacturing
3,427­
3,049­
380­
21,811­
19,595­
2,216­
metal
955­
935­
20­
paper and cardboard
605­
595­
10­
wood
753­
747­
7­
animal and vegetal waste
6,763­
6,673­
90­
mixed waste
2,394­
2,095­
299­
sludge
2,237­
877­
1,360­
minerals and stone-like materials
7,712­
7,318­
394­
392­
356­
36­
2,581­
1,245­
1,336­
40
Non-chemical waste
20
of which from
0
’90 ’95 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13
Acidifiers
Greenhouse gases
other non-chemical waste
Chemical waste
96 Trends in the Netherlands 2015
6.30 Municipal waste
6.31 Emissions into water
2010
2011
2012
2013**
2010
mln kg
Total
10,061­
10,163­
9,816­
9,450­
Phosphorus (total P)
Nitrogen (total N)
Household waste
2012
6,896­
7,548­
6,478­
90,250­
88,330­
76,085­
8,860­
8,915­
8,655­
8,302­
Copper
91.3
96­.5
non-separated collected waste
4,441­
4,413­
4,266­
4,062­
Nickel
55.4
56.8
separated collected waste
4,419­
4,502­
4,389­
4,239­
Zinc
compostable waste
1,255­
1,297­
1,303­
1,255­
paper
1,065­
1,044­
981­
924­
glass
350­
349­
348­
345­
bulky garden waste
447­
448­
461­
441­
wood waste
323­
334­
318­
308­
rubble
402­
427­
389­
375­
other separated waste
577­
603­
589­
591­
1,200­
1,248­
1,161­
1,149­
of which
of which
Cleaning and other waste
2013
x 1 000 kg
Lead
Cadmium
401­
41.1
1.34
92.1
80­.7
439­
390­
43­.1
39.8
1.37
1.19
A
a
c
C
55 kg of paper per person
collected for recycling in 2013
75 kg of compostable waste
per person collected in 2013
Environment 97
g
G
16,902,146 inhabitants on 1 January 2015
0.9% a
A
economic growth in 2014
Facts that matter
9 789035 721050
1
Trends in Nederland 2015