Dutch population and number of households, 1980-2002

On 1 January 2003, the Dutch population was 16.2 million. The proportion of people under 20 is falling, whereas the proportion aged above 65 is rising. Life expectancy is increasing for both men and women.

Changes in the size of the population

The Dutch population is continuing to grow. On 1 January 2003, the Netherlands had 16.2 million inhabitants. The percentage of the population under 20 has fallen since 1980 from more than 31.5% to less than 24.5% ('dejuvenation'). The percentage of the population over 65 has risen slightly in the period under consideration: from 11.5 to 13.7% ('ageing') (CBS, 2003a). Life expectancy at birth continues to rise: men on average live to 75.9 and women to 80.7 years old (CBS, 2003b). Around 1980, life expectancy was still 72 and 79 years old respectively.

• Population trends by province (table).
• Dejuvenation: the number of people aged 19 or less as a proportion of the working population aged 20-64.
• Ageing: the number of people aged 65 or older as a proportion of the working population aged 20-64.
• Life expectancy at birth: the number of years men or women are expected to live at birth.

Trends in the number of households

The number of households on 1 January 2002 was 6.94 million and is rising faster than the population. This is due to the sharp increase in the number of single-person households to 2.35 million on 1 January 2002.

Trends in population density

The number of inhabitants per km² has risen from 415 in 1980 to 477 in 2002. The Randstad urban agglomeration clearly has the highest population density (up to approximately 1,000 inhabitants/km²). Most space per inhabitant can be found in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel (less the Twente area) and Zeeland (less than 200 inhabitants/km²).

References

• CBS (2003a). Statline: Statistiek van de Nederlandse bevolking. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.
• CBS (2003b). Statline: Bevolkings- en huishoudensprognose. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.

Relevant sections and indicators in the Environmental Data Compendium

• Consumer spending in the Netherlands, 1995-2002*
• Space per capita in the Netherlands, 1900-2000
• Guide to Environmental pressure from Consumers

Relevant information outside of the Environmental Data Compendium

• Demographic information and forecasts of population trends can be found on Statline (Statistics Netherlands).