Number of social security benefits marginally higher in 2011
- 316 thousand social security benefits by the end of last year
- social security benefits 9 thousand up on last year
- fewer young claimants
- growth social security benefits varies considerably across the regions
According to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands, 316 thousand social security benefits were granted by the end of last year to individuals under the age of 65 living at home, i.e. 9 thousand more than one year previously. The annual increase in 2010 was 26 thousand.
Since early 2009, the number of social security benefits has grown almost continually, but the increase in 2011 was below the level of the preceding two years. The number of social security benefits granted to young people under the age of 27 was 1 thousand down on one year previously versus an increase by more than 7 thousand in 2010. The growth in social security benefits granted to people aged 27 or older was 9 thousand lower than in 2010.
The number of social security benefits varies considerably on the municipal level. In the period 2009-2011, for example, the number of benefits in municipalities with a population exceeding 100 thousand soared by 46 percent in the municipality of Almere, while the increase in the municipality of Breda was only 1 percent. Regional developments partly depend on the local labour market situation and the demographic composition of the category of people claiming social security.