Noise nuisance in the Netherlands by source, 1990-2002

The proportion of the Dutch population that suffers noise nuisance has stabilised just above the standard proposed in the policy of 40%.

		1990	1995	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
		%
Traffic and/or industry		50	44	42	41	43	42	43
of which	air traffic	25	21	19	18	19	18	19
	rail traffic	5	5	5	6	7	6	7
	road traffic	34	30	28	28	29	30	32
	industry	5	4	4	4	4	3	4
Neighbours		27	24	20	20	20	21	20
Source: CBS (2003)		CBS/EDC/May03/0293
N.B. Respondents aged 18 or over.

Developments in severe nuisance

In 2002, 43% of the population reported experiencing frequent or occasional nuisance from traffic noise (air, rail and/or road) and/or from industry or business. People suffering nuisance from both sources have therefore only been counted once here. In 2002, one in five of the Dutch population also reported experiencing noise nuisance caused by neighbours (CBS, 2003). The percentage of people experiencing frequent or occasional noise nuisance has remained fairly stable in recent years.

Policy

The number of people suffering nuisance would appear have stabilised in recent years just above the objective of 40% (VROM, 1998). So the objective would appear to have been almost achieved.

Technical note

The figures on nuisance and severe nuisance shown here cannot automatically be compared with the figures about severe nuisance because they were obtained from a range of studies (which do not always use the same definitions for nuisance and source groups).

References

• CBS (2003). Statline. Permanent Onderzoek Leefsituatie. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.
• VROM (1998). National Environmental Policy Plan 3. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague.

Relevant sections and indicators in the Environmental Data Compendium

• Introduction to noise nuisance: sources, policy and measures
• Definitions and units for noise and odour
• Noise nuisance: severe nuisance, 1993 and 1998
• Area and dwellings in the Netherlands exposed to noise levels above 50 db(A), 2002
• Noise exposure from road, rail and air traffic in the Netherlands, 2002
• Odour nuisance in the Netherlands by source, 1990-2002
• Overview of environment-related health risks in the Netherlands
• Complaints about aircraft noise from Schiphol, 1986-2001

Relevant information outside of the Environmental Data Compendium

• Data about noise nuisance broken down according to a number of demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, level of education, socio-economic group, composition of household and urbanisation of the municipality, can be found in the Statistics Netherlands database Statline.