Most people on long-term low incomes live in major cities

There are more than 5 thousand neighbourhoods in the Netherlands. In nearly one third, the the proportion of long-term low incomes is above the nationwide average of 3 percent. Over half of these neighbourhoods are situated in the west of the country, particularly in major cities like Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.

Vrijheidswijk-West in Leeuwarden at the bottom of the list

Proportionally, the neighbourhood with the highest amount of long-term low incomes is Vrijheidswijk-West in Leeuwarden, where over a quarter of households have lived on low incomes for at least four years. Vrijheidswijk-West is followed by the neighbourhoods of Waldeck Pyrmontweg and environs in Dordrecht and Dolphia in Enschede, where about one fifth of households have lived on low incomes at least four years.

20 neighbourhoods with the highest share of long-term low incomes, 2005

Many poor neighbourhoods in major cities

In more than 200 neighbourhoods in the Netherlands, the proportion of long-term low-income earners exceeds 9 percent, i.e. three times the national average. In total, 65 of these neighbourhoods (20 thousand households) are situated in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.

Almelo and Groningen each have 11 neighbourhoods where the rate of long-term low incomes is more than three times as high as the national average. These are followed by Leeuwarden, Heerlen, Utrecht, Dordrecht and Den Bosch.

Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam

In Amsterdam the neighbourhoods with the highest rate of long-term low-income earners are the Van Lennepbuurt, Bijlmer-Centrum D, F and H, the Dapperbuurt, the Indische Buurt Oost, IJplein and Vogelbuurt.

Proportion of long-term low incomes by neighbourhood in Amsterdam, 2005

In The Hague the underpriviliges neighbourhoods are Transvaalkwartier-Noord, Rivierenbuurt-Noord and the Schildersbuurt-Noord,
-Oost en –West and in Rotterdam Schiemond, Nieuw-Crooswijk, Spangen, Oud-Crooswijk and Feijenoord.

Proportion of long-term low incomes by neighbourhood in The Hague, 2005

Proportion of long-term low incomes by neighbourhood in Rotterdam, 2005

Petra Ament