Welfare of persons; key figures
| Sex | Person characteristics | Periods | Equivalised income Number of persons (x 1 000) | Equivalised income Mean equivalised income (1 000 euro) | Personal income Number of persons with income (x 1 000) | Personal income Mean personal income (1 000 euro) | Median development purchasing power (%) | Persons economically independent (%) | Low-income persons (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2011 | 16,309.8 | 26.9 | 12,807.3 | 28.8 | . | 67.7 | 5.8 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2012 | 16,378.0 | 27.1 | 12,891.6 | 29.1 | -1.1 | 67.6 | 6.7 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2013 | 16,429.5 | 27.3 | 12,951.4 | 29.4 | -1.1 | 67.1 | 7.4 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2014 | 16,454.5 | 28.9 | 13,005.8 | 29.9 | 1.9 | 67.3 | 7.2 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2015 | 16,528.1 | 28.7 | 13,115.5 | 30.4 | 1.3 | 68.1 | 6.9 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2016 | 16,595.2 | 30.0 | 13,225.4 | 31.0 | 3.0 | 69.2 | 6.5 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2017 | 16,707.3 | 31.1 | 13,396.7 | 32.0 | 0.7 | 70.3 | 6.3 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2018 | 16,806.3 | 31.5 | 13,551.8 | 32.3 | 0.6 | 71.7 | 6.3 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2019 | 16,909.9 | 33.9 | 13,702.3 | 33.4 | 1.5 | 72.8 | 5.9 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2020 | 17,018.5 | 34.5 | 13,805.8 | 34.3 | 2.5 | 72.4 | 5.4 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2021 | 17,098.8 | 36.1 | 13,960.8 | 35.7 | 1.4 | 74.1 | 5.0 |
| Total male and female | Total persons | 2022* | 17,197.9 | 37.9 | 14,162.4 | 37.4 | -1.2 | 75.8 | 3.8 |
| Source: CBS. | |||||||||
Table explanation
This table aims to show the distribution of welfare of persons in the Netherlands, measured by their income.
The figures in this table are broken down to different person characteristics.
The population consists of all persons in private households with income on January 1st of the reporting year.
In the population for the subject low-income persons, persons in both student households and households with income only for a part of the year have been excluded.
The population for the subject economic independence consists of all persons aged from 15 to the OAP-age in private households with income on January 1st of the reporting year, except for students and pupils.
Data available from: 2011
Status of the figures:
The figures for 2011 to 2020 are final. The figures for 2021 are preliminary.
Changes as of 8 Nobember 2023:
The preliminary figures for 2022 have been added.
When will new figures be published?
New figures will be published in the fall of 2024.
New figures on expenditures are expected early 2024.
Description topics
- Equivalised income
- The disposable income is defined as the gross income minus current transfers paid (like alimony payments to an ex-partner), income insurance premiums, health insurance premiums and tax on income and wealth. Gross income is the sum of income from labour, income from self-employment, income from property, payments from the government and other receipts (like alimony payments by an ex-partner).
The equivalised income is the disposable income corrected for differences in household size and composition. The correction factor used reflects the advantages of scale of households with two or more members. The single person household is used as the reference household. The equivalised income is a measure of the prosperity of (members of) a household.- Number of persons
- Number of persons in private households with a known income on January 1st of the reporting year whose household income is well-known.
- Mean equivalised income
- Mean standardised disposable income per person.
- Personal income
- Personal income is defined as income from labour, income from self-employment, allowances from income insurance (like unemployment benefits) and social facilities (except for child benefits). Premiums for income insurance (except for national insurances like social welfare) are deducted from the personal income.
- Number of persons with income
- Number of persons with personal income in private households on January 1st of the reporting year.
- Mean personal income
- Mean personal income per person.
Personal income is defined as income from labour, income from self-employment, allowances from income insurance (like unemployment benefits) and social facilities (except for child benefits). Premiums for income insurance (except for national insurances like social welfare) are deducted from the personal income.
- Median development purchasing power
- Purchasing power is defined as the equivalised household income adjusted for price developments, which are based on the consumer price index (CPI). Purchasing power is used to determine income changes (in real terms), but may also be used to determine (developments in) differences in prosperity between individuals or households.
The development is measured by the median change in purchasing power. The median is defined as the value separating the higher half from the lower half. In simple terms, it may be thought of as the "middle" value of a data set. - Persons economically independent
- Number of economically independent persons as a percentage of all persons in a category.
Economic independence in accordance with policy is connected to the social benefit level of a single person. Someone is considered to be economically independent if the personal net income from work (employed as well as self-employed) is equal to or exceeds this level. - Low-income persons
- Number of persons living in a household with an income below the low-income threshold as a percentage of all persons in a category.
The low-income threshold represents the same purchasing power for all households and is adjusted annually for price changes using the consumer price index (CPI). The level is based on the welfare benefit level for a single person in 1979.