SDG 3 Good health and well-being
- Resources and opportunities in healthcare are coming under pressure from staff shortages. Hours worked in Dutch care per capita are among the highest in the EU and the trend is rising. But the shortage of care staff is very substantial: the vacancy rate in the care sector is higher than in almost all other EU countries.
- Healthy behaviour is increasing. Drinking and smoking rates are lower in the Netherlands than in most other EU countries. The share of smokers in the population aged 15 years and older is becoming smaller and smaller: in 2023 it was just 18.7 percent.
- The rise in the share of overweight adults has stopped. It has been around 50 percent for a number of years now, which is relatively low: in 2019 the Netherlands ranked 5th out of 26 EU countries.
- Average duration of hospitalisation was one of the shortest in the EU (5.2 days in 2021). Waiting times for specialist medical treatment are increasing. In 2023 47.5 percent of waiting times exceeded the Treek norm of four weeks.
- Most health indicators show stable trends. The percentage of people who experience severe limitations doing usual day-to-day activities is relatively low and decreasing: 4.9 percent of the population aged 16 years and older in 2023.
- In 2023 77.5 percent of the Dutch population said their health was good or very good. This is clearly lower than in previous years.
Dashboard and indicators
Resources and opportunities
in EU
in 2022
in EU
in 2022
in EU
in 2022
Use
in EU
in 2019
in EU
in 2021
in EU
in 2019
in EU
in 2022
Outcomes
in EU
in 2021
in EU
in 2021
in EU
in 2021
in EU
in 2022
in EU
in 2020
in EU
in 2022
in EU
in 2017
Subjective assessment
in EU
in 2022
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources and opportunities | Health care expenditure | 10.0% of gross domestic product in 2022 | 8th out of 22 in 2022 | Middle ranking | |
| Resources and opportunities | Job vacancy rate health and welfare | 42 vacancies per 1,000 jobs on 31 December 2023 | increasing (decrease well-being) | 24th out of 25 in 2022 | Low ranking |
| Resources and opportunities | Hours worked in health care | 106.1 hours worked per capita in 2023 | increasing (increase well-being) | 3rd out of 17 in 2022 | High ranking |
| Use | Overweight children | 12.7% of 4 to 18 year-olds are overweight in 2023 | |||
| Use | Overweight adult population | 50.0% of the population over 18 in 2023 | 5th out of 26 in 2019 | High ranking | |
| Use | Alcohol consumption | 8.1 litres of pure alcohol per capita (over 15) in 2021 | 2nd out of 16 in 2021 | High ranking | |
| Use | Smoking | 18.7% of the population over 15 smoked tobacco in 2023 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 5th out of 17 in 2019 | High ranking |
| Use | Measles vaccination rate (infants) C) | 89.4% of 2-year-olds had been vaccinated (MMR) in 2023 | 12th out of 15 in 2022 | Low ranking | |
| Outcomes | Diabetes medication | 4.9% of the population using diabetes medication in 2022 | |||
| Outcomes | Average duration of hospitalisation | 5.2 days in 2022 | 2nd out of 23 in 2021 | High ranking | |
| Outcomes | Healthy life expectancy of men A) | 64.1 years at birth in 2023 | 17th out of 27 in 2021 | Middle ranking | |
| Outcomes | Healthy life expectancy of women A) | 62.4 years at birth in 2023 | 20th out of 27 in 2021 | Middle ranking | |
| Outcomes | Waiting time for specialist care | 47.5% of waiting times are longer than the set norms in 2023 | increasing (decrease well-being) | ||
| Outcomes | Neonatal mortality rate A) | 2.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 | 15th out of 22 in 2022 | Middle ranking | |
| Outcomes | Suicide | 10.8 deaths per 100,000 population in 2022 | 14th out of 27 in 2020 | Middle ranking | |
| Outcomes | Severe long-standing limitations due to health problems | 4.9% experience severe limitations doing usual activities in 2023 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 4th out of 27 in 2022 | High ranking |
| Outcomes | Mental problems | 86.3% of the population over 12 does not suffer from mental problems in 2023 | decreasing (decrease well-being) | 11th out of 27 in 2017 | Middle ranking |
| Subjective assessment | Perceived health | 77.5% of the population describe their own health as (very) good in 2023 | 9th out of 27 in 2022 | Middle ranking |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
SDG 3 aims to ensure health for people of all ages. Everyone should have the opportunity to live as healthy a life as possible: people must have access to medical treatment when they are physically ill or have mental problems so that they do not die unnecessarily. This includes better care for mothers and infants, preventing and treating drug and alcohol abuse, and reducing the number of traffic deaths. Research and vaccination programmes should be implemented to end or minimise epidemics of known infectious diseases by 2030.
Some indicators for the Netherlands appear to be returning to pre-coronavirus levels, such as healthcare expenditure (in terms of percentage of GDP) and ‘normal’ life expectancy. This is not the case for the share of the population without mental problems: this continues to show a downward trend following the pandemic. Surprisingly, a high percentage of Dutch people described their own health as good or very good during the pandemic. However, people rated their own health less favourably again in 2023, even compared with most pre-pandemic years.
Resources and opportunities relate to the resources used to maintain and improve the healthcare system.
Use concerns behaviour that affects health and how people use health care services. People who eat and drink too much and take too little exercise will become overweight. Alongside smoking, this is an important lifestyle factor.
Outcomes refer to the physical and mental health of the population in relation to the quality of healthcare. The average hospital stay for inpatients is shorter in the Netherlands than in most other EU countries.
Subjective assessment concerns people’s satisfaction both with their own health and with the Dutch healthcare system. Only for the former aspect is an indicator available. The share of the Dutch population describing their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ was 77.5 percent in 2023. This is clearly lower than in 2020 and 2021, and also low compared with most years before that. In 2020 and 2021, possibly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a large share of the Dutch population were positive about their own health.