Households; size, composition, position in the household, 1 January

Households; size, composition, position in the household, 1 January

Periods Persons by household position Total of the Netherlands (number) Private households By household size Total private households (number) Private households By household size One-person households (number) Private households By household size Multi-person households Total multi-person households (number) Persons in institutional households By type of institution Total persons living in institutions (number) Persons in institutional households By type of institution Homes for the elderly and nursing homes (number) Persons in institutional households By type of institution Other health care institution (number) Persons in institutional households By type of institution Other type of institution (number)
1995 15,424,122 6,468,682 2,109,149 4,359,533 247,708 . . .
2000 15,863,943 6,801,008 2,272,219 4,528,789 224,003 136,964 74,648 12,391
2005 16,305,526 7,090,965 2,449,378 4,641,587 213,202 126,667 74,645 11,890
2015 16,900,726 7,665,198 2,867,797 4,797,401 244,794 118,593 104,661 21,540
2020 17,407,585 7,997,800 3,079,778 4,918,022 258,863 119,911 114,394 24,558
2024 17,942,942 8,374,404 3,340,560 5,033,844 289,176 128,686 122,027 38,463
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Table explanation


This table contains information about the progress of the households in the Netherlands by size and composition and persons by household position, on 1 January.

Data available from: 1995

Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are final.

With the information available for the reporting years 1995, 1996 and 1997 it is not easy to make an unambiguous assignment of persons in institutional households in three distinct categories of institutions. For this reason the numbers are set as unknown.

Changes as of 30 May 2024:
The figures of 1 January 2024 have been added.

When will new figures be published?
The final figures of 1 January 2025 will be added in the 4th quarter of 2025.

Description topics

Persons by household position
Household:
Private or institutional household.

Private household:
One or more persons 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 persons living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally.
Included are institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the elderly, mental health institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons, drug rehabilitation centres, shelters for the homeless, boarding schools, monasteries, prisons, military barracks, and asylum reception centres, in which persons (will) live for a longer period of time. From 2014, people in institutional households are presented in three groups, namely: homes for the elderly and nursing homes, other health care institution and other type of institution.

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 in a household is chosen as follows:
- the reference person in a heterosexual relationship is always the man;
- in homosexual relationships, the reference person is the older of the two;
- in a single-parent household the reference person is the parent;
- in 'other households' the reference person is the oldest man, or if there are no men, the oldest woman.
Total of the Netherlands
Private households
One or more persons sharing the same living space, who provide for their own everyday needs in a private, non-commercial way.
By household size
Number of persons 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
Persons in institutional households
Institutional household:
One or more persons living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally.
Included are institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the elderly, mental health institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons, drug rehabilitation centres, shelters for the homeless, boarding schools, monasteries, prisons, military barracks, and asylum reception centres, in which persons (will) live for a longer period of time. From 2014, people in institutional households are presented in three groups, namely:
homes for the elderly and nursing homes, other health care institution and other type of institution.
By type of institution
Institutional household:
One or more persons living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally.
Included are institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the elderly, mental health institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons, drug rehabilitation centres, shelters for the homeless, boarding schools, monasteries, prisons, military barracks, and asylum reception centres, in which persons (will) live for a longer period of time. From 2014, people in institutional households are presented in three groups, namely:
homes for the elderly and nursing homes, other health care institution and other 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.
Other health care institution
Other health care institution:
- Mental health and psychiatric institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, drug rehabilitation centres.
- Institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons.
- Shelters for the homeless.

Other type of institution
Other type of institution:
- Educational boarding schools and training schools for police and armed forces
- Monasteries
- Prisons
- Military barracks
- As of January 1st 2014: residents of asylum centres (but only if they are registered in the population register of a Dutch municipality).