Households; size, position in the household, 1 January 1995-2013
Explanation of symbols
Table explanation
Key figures on the size and composition of households and persons by position in the household in the Netherlands, on 1 January.
Data available from 1995 until 2013.
Status of the figures:
All the figures in this table are final.
Changes as of 24 February 2015:
This table is discontinued.
When will new figures be published?
Not applicable anymore. This table will be replaced by 'Households; size, composition, position in the household, 1 January', see chapter 3.
Description topics
- Persons by household position
- Household
Private or institutional household.
Private household
One or more people sharing the same living space, who provide for their own everyday needs in a private, non-commercial way.
Institutional household
Household consisting of one or more people living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally, e.g. persons in homes for the elderly, nursing homes and mental hospitals.
Households size
Number of people in a private household.
Household composition
The classification of private households on the basis of the relationships within the household.
Household position
Position someone has in a household in relation to the reference person of that household.
Reference person
Member of the household on whom the household positions of the other household members are based, and whose characteristics may also be characteristic for the household.
The reference person will be chosen as follows:
- The reference person in a heterosexual relationship is always the man.
- In homosexual and lesbian relationships, the reference person is the elder of the two.
- In a single-parent household the reference person is the parent.
- In an 'other household' the reference person is the eldest man. If men are absent in the household, the reference person is the eldest woman.- Total of the Netherlands
- Men
- Total number of men
- Children living at home
- Children living at home in a private household.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Single
- Persons living alone in a private household.
- Persons living together
- Persons living with a partner as a couple, whether or not they are married or registered as partners, who form a private household.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registered partnerships where introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total persons living together
- Not married without children
- Not married persons living together without children living at home.
Not married:
Two persons living together and not married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Married without children
- Married persons living together without children living at home.
Married:
Two persons living together and married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Not married with children
- Not married persons living together with children living at home.
Not married:
Two persons living together and not married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Married with children
- Married persons living together with children living at home.
Married:
Two persons living together and married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Single parent
- Person who does not live with a partner with at least one child living at home, who form a private household.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Other member of household
- Someone in a private household who is not a partner in a couple, a parent in a single family household, or a child living at home, e.g. boarders, younger of two brothers constituting one household or foster children.
- Persons in institutional households
- The population in institutional households consists of persons whose accommodation and daily needs are provided for by a third party on a professional basis, e.g. persons in homes for the elderly, nursing homes and mental hospitals.
- Women
- Total number of women
- Children living at home
- Children living at home in a private household.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Single
- Persons living alone in a private household.
- Persons living together
- Persons living with a partner as a couple, whether or not they are married or registered as partners, who form a private household.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registered partnerships where introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total persons living together
- Not married without children
- Not married persons living together without children living at home.
Not married:
Two persons living together and not married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Married without children
- Married persons living together without children living at home.
Married:
Two persons living together and married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Not married with children
- Not married persons living together with children living at home.
Not married:
Two persons living together and not married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Married with children
- Married persons living together with children living at home.
Married:
Two persons living together and married or in a registered partnership.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Single parent
- Person who does not live with a partner with at least one child living at home, who form a private household.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Other member of household
- Someone in a private household who is not a partner in a couple, a parent in a single family household, or a child living at home, e.g. boarders, younger of two brothers constituting one household or foster children.
- Persons in institutional household
- The population in institutional households consists of persons whose accommodation and daily needs are provided for by a third party on a professional basis, e.g. persons in homes for the elderly, nursing homes and mental hospitals.
- Private households
- Private household
One or more people sharing the same living space, who provide for their own everyday needs in a private, non-commercial way.- By household size
- Households size
Number of people in a private household.- Total private households
- One-person households
- Private household consisting of one person.
- Multi-person households
- A private household consisting of two or more persons.
- Total multi-person households
- 2 persons
- 3 persons
- 4 persons
- 5 persons or more
- Average household size
- Average number of persons in a private household.
- By household composition
- The classification of private households on the basis of the relationships within the household.
- Total private households
- One-person households
- Private household consisting of one person.
- Multi-person households
- A private household consisting of two or more persons.
- Total multi-person households
- Multi-person households without children
- A private multi-person household without children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Multi-person households with children
- A private multi-person household with children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Unmarried couples
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household.
Unmarried couple:
Two persons living together who are not married or in a registered partnership.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registered partnerships were introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total unmarried couples
- 0 children
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household without children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 1 child
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household with one child.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 2 children
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household with two children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 3 children or more
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household with three or more children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Married couples
- Married couples in a multi-person household.
Married couple:
Couple consisting of two married persons, including persons in a registered partnership.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registered partnerships were introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total married couples
- 0 children
- Married couples in a multi-person household without children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 1 child
- Married couples in a multi-person household with one child.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 2 children
- Married couples in a multi-person household with two children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 3 children or more
- Married couples in a multi-person household with three or more children.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Single parent household
- Private household consisting of one parent and at least one child who lives at home.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.- Total single parent households
- 1 child
- Private household consisting of one parent and one child who lives at home.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 2 children
- Private household consisting of one parent and two children living at home.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- 3 children or more
- Private household consisting of one parent and three or more children living at home.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Other household
- Private household with members who are not partners, parents or children living at home.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children. There are no age limits in this category.
- Persons in institutional households
- Institutional household
Household consisting of one or more people living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally, e.g. persons in homes for the elderly, nursing homes and mental hospitals.- By sex and marital status
- Marital status:
Legal status involving someone's rights and competences as determined by legal marriage and registered partnership.
Marriage:
Legal, formally sanctioned living arrangement between two people. Since 1 April 2001, it is legally possible for people in the Netherlands to marry a person of the same sex.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two people of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registered partnership was introduced in The Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total men and women
- Total of men and women living in institutional households.
- Men
- Total men in institutional households
- Never married
- From 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
1998 until 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership. Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'widowed after partnership' and 'divorces after partnership' were not included in this period in these statistics. For these statistics this means that the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: marital status indicating that someone was never married.
- Married
- From 1998: legally married and partnership.
Until 1998: legally married.
Legally married:
Marital status resulting from having married legally. Including judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Partnership:
Marital status resulting from entering into a registered partnership.
- Widowed
- From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
Until 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, widowed after a partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.
Widowed after a partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.
- Divorced
- From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
Until 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, divorced after partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Divorced after a legal marriage
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce. Excluding judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Divorced after a partnership
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.
- Women
- Total women in institutional households
- Never married
- From 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
1998 until 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership. Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'widowed after partnership' and 'divorces after partnership' were not included in this period in these statistics. For these statistics this means that the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: marital status indicating that someone was never married.
- Married
- From 1998: legally married and partnership.
Until 1998: legally married.
Legally married:
Marital status resulting from having married legally. Including judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Partnership:
Marital status resulting from entering into a registered partnership.
- Widowed
- From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
Until 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, widowed after a partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.
Widowed after a partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.
- Divorced
- From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
Until 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, divorced after partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Divorced after a legal marriage
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce. Excluding judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Divorced after a partnership
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.
- By type of institution
- Total persons living in institutions
- Total of persons living in institutional households.
- Homes for the elderly and nursing homes
- Homes for permanent residence of old persons, including care such as meals, cleaning, monitoring alarm systems and personal support.
- Homes for mentally disabled persons
- Mental hospitals
- Family replacement homes, etc.
- Homes for young or disabled persons, structured to resemble a family setting. Excludes centres for refugees and asylum seekers.
- Boarding schools
- Includes residential training centres for police and armed forces.
- Religious institutions
- Penitentiary institutions
- State institution for custodial sentences. Includes prisons, detention centres and forensic psychiatric clinics.