SDG 11.1 Sustainable cities and communities: housing
- The number of available homes in the Netherlands is increasing. The housing shortage in 2023 was estimated at 390 thousand homes, five percent of the housing stock.
- Approximately one-fifth of Dutch young adults still live with their parents. This percentage is increasing, but is still much lower than in most other EU countries.
- Homes are becoming more expensive. Trends in rent, the costs for own homes and the ratio of sale to asking price are all increasing.
- The share of household income actually spent on housing (the housing expense ratio) shows a downward trend, although it is high compared with other EU countries. Seven percent of households experience housing costs to be a heavy burden. This percentage is decreasing and was the lowest in the EU in 2020 (before the energy crisis).
- The overall quality of Dutch homes is good: 85.1 percent of the population lived in a home without serious defects in 2023. In 2022, 2.9 percent of the population lived in homes with too few rooms. This percentage is very low compared with other EU countries.
- Dutch adults are satisfied with their accommodation: 86.2 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied in 2023.
Dashboard and indicators
Resources and opportunities
in EU
in 2022
in EU
in 2023
in EU
in 2022
Use
in EU
in 2022
in EU
in 2022
Outcomes
in EU
in 2020
in EU
in 2020
Subjective assessment
in EU
in 2017
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources and opportunities | Number of available dwellings | 8,204 dwellings at the end of 2023 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Resources and opportunities | Housing shortage, modelbased estimate | 5% of housing stock in 2023 | |||
| Resources and opportunities | Low-natural gas homes | 8.8% of the total amount of homes is low in natural gas on 1 January in 2022 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Resources and opportunities | Housing costs (rented and own homes) | 20.0% of disposable household income in 2022 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 22nd out of 27 in 2022 | Low ranking |
| Resources and opportunities | Actual housing rent | 118.5 European harmonised consumer price index (2015=100) in 2023 | increasing (decrease well-being) | 12th out of 27 in 2023 | Middle ranking |
| Resources and opportunities | Price index spending on purchase and ownership of own home | 153.4 price index (2015=100) in 2022 | increasing (decrease well-being) | 19th out of 26 in 2022 | Middle ranking |
| Resources and opportunities | Median ratio of selling price to asking price A) | 1.06 median ratio in 2022 | increasing (decrease well-being) | ||
| Use | Young adults (25-29 years) living with parents | 19.9% live with parent(s), on 1 January in 2023 | increasing (decrease well-being) | 4th out of 27 in 2022 | High ranking |
| Use | Rent disproportionate to income: too expensive B) | 11.6% of tenants with too high a rent in relation to their income in 2021 | |||
| Use | Overcrowding | 2.9% of the population live in a home that is too small in 2022 | 3rd out of 27 in 2022 | High ranking | |
| Use | Homeless people | 28 per 10,000 of the population (18-64) were homeless in 2023 | |||
| Use | Average household morgage debt | € 201,100 per household with a mortgage debt (current prices) in 2022 | increasing (decrease well-being) | ||
| Use | Loan-to-value | 0.60 ratio of total mortgage debt to value of property (heads of household younger than 35) in 2022 | decreasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Outcomes | Energy poverty | 6.4% low income, combined with high energy bill or low energy quality of the home in 2021 | |||
| Outcomes | Housing costs burden | 7.0% of households say housing costs are a heavy burden in 2023 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 1st out of 27 in 2020 | High ranking |
| Outcomes | Housing quality | 85.1% of the population have no major housing defects in 2023 | 15th out of 27 in 2020 | Middle ranking | |
| Subjective assessment | Satisfaction with housing | 86.2% of the population over 18 are satisfied or very satisfied in 2023 | 8th out of 27 in 2017 | Middle ranking |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
SDG 11 focuses on making cities and communities sustainable places to live. This first SDG 11 dashboard centres on adequate housing. As much of life takes place in and around people’s homes, safe, suitable, affordable and good-quality housing improves their sense of well-being. Where people decide to live is usually based on where they work or study, where their friends and family live, but particularly also on where suitable and affordable accommodation is available. As it has become easier to work from home, commuting distance appears to be becoming a less decisive factor in deciding where to settle. Housing market mobility is important for first-time buyers and for people who want to move up the housing ladder. Alongside financial security, suitable accommodation is an important precondition for people who want to start a family. Continuing uncertainty for potential parents on these matters combined with the relatively small number of women of ‘child-bearing’ ages are contributing to the historically low birth rate in the Netherlands. Well-being is also clearly affected by how much people enjoy their homes and how much it costs them to live there.
The Netherlands performs well within the EU in terms of perceived housing costs and available housing and the percentage of 25- to 30-year-olds still living with their parents. But it is trailing in terms of housing expense ratio (share of income spent on housing).
Resources and opportunities relate to the housing stock and the affordability of own and rental homes. Just over 73 thousand new dwellings were completed in 2023, fewer than in 2022 (just under 75 thousand) but more than average in the last ten years (just over 61 thousand).
Use concerns homes people live in and their chances of moving up the housing ladder. A new indicator has been introduced in this dashboard to reflect housing shortage in the Netherlands: the percentage of 25- to 30-year-olds still living with one or both parents.
Outcomes concern the quality of the home and perceived housing costs. Quality of Dutch homes is generally high: in 2023 85.1 percent of the Dutch population lived in a home without serious defects such as a leaking roof, rotting window frames or problems with damp walls, floors or foundations. To reflect the affordability of energy better, an indicator on energy poverty has been added to the dashboard.
Subjective assessment refers to how satisfied people are with their housing. Dutch adults are satisfied with their accommodation: 86.2 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied in 2023. There was a substantial dip in satisfaction in 2021 (by 1.9 percentage points), when coronavirus measures meant people were confined to their homes. Since then, satisfaction has increased again. The medium-term trend is stable.