Almost 71 thousand new-build homes in 2019

© Hollandse Hoogte / Joost Hoving
Last year, almost 71 thousand new-build completions were reported. This is over 6 percent up on 2018 and the highest number in the span of a decade. With these new completions, the total dwelling stock grew by 0.9 percent. At almost 9 percent, the fastest growing supply of new dwellings was recorded in Diemen. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on newly released figures.

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Between 2000 and 2009, housing completions accounted for an annual growth in dwelling stock of more than 1 percent, i.e. an average of 76 thousand new dwellings per year. At the lowest point in dwelling production – in 2014 – growth had declined to 0.6 percent or 45 thousand new homes. In the following four years, however, the number of new-build dwellings rose at an increasingly fast pace. This continued into 2019 with more homes added than in the previous year.

Nearly 7.9 million homes

On 1 January 2020, there were nearly 7.9 million dwellings in the Netherlands. This is nearly 77 thousand more than one year previously. Changes in dwelling stock are not only due to new construction, but also to demolition, joined and separated dwellings, as well as conversion of existing buildings. An example of the latter is when a vacant office building is turned into an apartment complex. In 2018, building conversion accounted for 13 thousand additional dwellings.

Relatively the fastest growth in dwelling stock on account of new construction was seen in Flevoland at 1.6 percent. Other provinces with growth levels above the national average included Noord-Brabant, Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Gelderland and Overijssel. The province of Limburg proportionately saw much fewer new-build completions. Zuid-Holland as well was below the average but ranked highest in terms of absolute growth, i.e. over 13 thousand, together with Noord-Holland, which also added 13 thousand new homes to the dwelling stock.

 

Diemen expanding rapidly

The fastest increase in dwelling stock at almost 9 percent was seen in Diemen, where altogether 1,218 new-build dwellings were completed last year. New construction even added nearly 19 percent to the local dwelling stock over a span of five years. Amsterdam’s dwelling stock grew by 5,007, traditionally adding the highest number of new-build homes among all municipalities. The total number of homes in Amsterdam stands at over 447 thousand, equivalent to nearly 6 percent of the national dwelling stock.

To see how much local dwelling stock has increased due to housing completions, click on the interactive map below.

Figures over 2019 are provisional. Definitive figures will become available in May 2020. Due to subsequent survey response, the number of new-build completions is expected to be somewhat higher in the final version.

Sources