Our course
Our role
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) was founded on 9 January 1899 in response to the need for independent, reliable information in order to help understand social issues. To this day, this is the role that CBS fulfils.
Our mission
To compile and publish reliable, coherent statistical information which meets the needs of Dutch society.
Our vision
CBS is the leading independent source for reliable, socially relevant and up-to-date statistical data and information that is accessible to everyone. Our statistics provide society with valuable insights, enabling evidence-based decisions and facilitating progress.
In a world of increasing complexity and where the amount of information available can often be overwhelming, CBS plays a key role by providing an up-to-date overview. We collect and analyse data carefully and efficiently. The information extracted is then presented to society in a transparent and inspiring way. We thus clarify the data that we collect, and this is always handled securely because CBS is an authority on data ethics, privacy protection and information security.
We believe in the power of data, not only to provide valuable insights for society, but also to support and empower individuals and organisations with knowledge. Data belongs to all of us.
This is made possible by commitment of our staff, who are from diverse backgrounds and have a variety of skills. CBS prioritises individual development while never losing sight of our wider goal of publishing reliable, easily comprehensible statistical information. This places CBS at the heart of society, both now and in the future.
Our core values
Reliable, objective, society-oriented.
Pay-off
Facts that matter.
Looking to the future
Our vision for the future is contained in the CBS Multi-annual Programme 2024-2028 (MAP24-28). This document identifies a number of key themes that reflect CBS’ mission to provide data on topics of major importance to society. Furthermore, broadening access to data while maintaining the existing high standards of data and operations continues to be our top priority.
Societal challenges and priorities
CBS aims to become more flexible in order to make statistical contributions to addressing a number of major societal challenges such as housing, subversive crime, climate and sustainability. We put these social challenges at the centre of our programming. We aim to enter into data alliances with other operators that manage information on specific themes as fully and clearly as possible. How we do this is set out in our annual plans. This approach gives us the flexibility to respond to events as they arise.
The following topics will be central to our approach in the coming years:
- Housing
- Climate and sustainability
- Digitisation
- Knowledge and the economy
- Globalisation and value chains
- Inequality and poverty
- Demographic development
- Security and subversive crime
- Pandemic preparedness
- Labour market
An overview of our Multi-annual Programmes and Annual reports can be found here.
The Caribbean Netherlands
Since the relevant constitutional reform came into effect on 10 October 2010, CBS has been responsible for the provision of statistical information about the three islands of the Caribbean Netherlands. With a view to exercising this responsibility, a separate multi-annual programme about the Caribbean Netherlands is drafted and subject to periodic evaluation. The most recent edition is the Multi-annual Programme on the Caribbean Netherlands 2020-2023.