Number of pensioners crosses 3 million mark

Last year, the number of pensioners crossed the 3 million mark for the first time. This means that currently nearly one in every five Dutch residents is a pensioner. The proportion of pensioners in the age category 55–65 has declined since 2006.

Number of pensioners continues to grow

Due to the ageing population, the number of pensioners grew by nearly 600 thousand between 2000 and 2011. The proportion of pensioners in the entire population increased from 15 to 18 percent. A small but growing group of pensioners (over 50 thousand last year) are living abroad.

Pensioners by age

Fewer pensioners in the 55 to 65 age bracket

The proportion of pensioners in the 55 to 65-year-old population has declined since 2006. Last year, 15 percent of all 55 to 65-year-olds were retired versus 19 percent in 2006. The decline is due to the fact that, in recent years, people have continued to work longer as early retirement schemes became more austere.  The average retirement age of employees has risen from 61 in 2006 to more than 63 in 2011.

Proportion of pensioners aged between 55 and 65 and retirement age employees

Koos Arts and Ferdy Otten