SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation
- Total freshwater extraction per capita in the Netherlands was relatively high in 2022. Because 2022 was a dry year, extraction was higher than in 2021: many Dutch companies use large volumes of cooling water. The volume of extracted groundwater per capita was also larger in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 than in previous years. The dry summers in these years led to a substantial increase in water consumption by agriculture and drinking water companies.
- The trend for water productivity – a benchmark for the efficiency of water consumption by trade and industry – is rising.
- Nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates in Dutch urban waste water treatment (a measure for the efficiency of water purification) are high. The trend is no longer upward.
- Dutch surface water quality is low. Only 5.7 percent of fresh water protected under the European Water Framework Directive complies with the criteria for good biological quality, and 0.2 percent with the criteria for good chemical quality. Species of fish, breeding birds, amphibians, dragonflies, mammals and butterflies typically found in fresh water and marshland are trending downwards.
- Dutch water use is becoming less sustainable. Water stress (the percentage of fresh water extracted for economic use from the total renewable amount of fresh water, taking into account the amount of water needed by the environment) shows a rising trend.
Dashboard and indicators
Resources and opportunities
Use
in EU
in 2021
in EU
in 2021
in EU
in 2020
Outcomes
in EU
in 2020
in EU
in 2022
Subjective assessment
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources and opportunities | Water production cost | € 1.26 per m3 (current prices) in 2022 | |||
| Resources and opportunities | Customer price of drinking water | € 1.70 per m3 of drinking water in 2022 | |||
| Use | Nitrogen removal from urban waste water | 86% of all nitrogen in waste water is removed in 2022 | |||
| Use | Phosphorus removal from urban waste water | 88% of all phosphorus in waste water is removed in 2022 | |||
| Use | Abstraction fresh surface water | 401 m3 per capita in 2022 | 15th out of 16 in 2021 | Low ranking | |
| Use | Ground water abstraction | 64 m3 per capita in 2022 | 5th out of 16 in 2021 | Middle ranking | |
| Use | Water productivity | € 98 value added per m3 (2015 prices) in 2022 | increasing (increase well-being) | 13th out of 27 in 2020 | Middle ranking |
| Outcomes | Level of water stress | 17.7% fresh water extracted from total amount of fresh water in 2022 | increasing (decrease well-being) | 14th out of 27 in 2020 | Middle ranking |
| Outcomes | Fauna in freshwater and marshes | 147 index (trend 1990=100) in 2022 | decreasing (decrease well-being) | ||
| Outcomes | Surface water with good biological quality | 5.7% of protected surface water in 2023 | |||
| Outcomes | Surface water with sufficient chemical quality | 0.2% of protected surface water in 2023 | |||
| Outcomes | Nitrogen emissions to surface water B) | 5.0 kg per capita in 2021 | |||
| Outcomes | Quality of inland bathing waters | 70.5% qualified as 'excellent' in 2023 | 15th out of 25 in 2022 | Middle ranking | |
| Subjective assessment | Customer satisfaction with drinking water B) | 8.6 score on a scale of 1-10 (10 = completely satisfied) in 2022 |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
Access to safe drinking water and sanitary facilities, and sustainable water management are the main themes of SDG 6. Everyone in the Netherlands has access to drinking water and sanitary facilities. The dashboard therefore includes indicators on other water-related aspects: affordability of drinking water, water quality and efficiency of water use. Population growth, housing construction and increasing economic activity are pushing up demand for water. The recent dry and hot summers have intensified this. Since there are few options for obtaining more water, drinking water companies are increasingly competing with the interests of nature, agriculture and climate measures to produce water. Using less water will reduce pressure on freshwater sources. Drinking water security may become an issue in the future. Alongside affordability the dashboard comprises indicators on water quality and efficiency of water use. Less polluting emissions, purification, re-use and lower consumption can increase water quality and prevent shortages.
Trends in the Netherlands for SDG 6 generally point to stable well-being. There are two exceptions: the decline in fauna in freshwater and marshes, and the increasing water stress. The poor chemical quality of water is also a point of concern. The rising trend for water productivity is a favourable exception. Comparison with other EU countries is only possible for a few SDG 6 indicators, and most of these put the Netherlands in the middle group.
Resources and opportunities relate to the means used to provide households with clean and affordable drinking water. Drinking water supply is very well regulated in the Netherlands, although water companies are reporting increasing concern about the security of the water supply. Demand for water is increasing: summers are becoming drier, the population continues to grow, more homes are being built and economic activity continues to increase.
Use relates to purification of waste water, extraction of water from the environment and efficiency of drinking water use (water productivity). Two trends have turned from upward (green) to neutral: nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates in urban waste water treatment. These rates are a measure for the efficiency of water purification.
Outcomes for this SDG refer to the quality of surface water and the sustainability of water consumption. Trends point to stable or even declining well-being.
Subjective assessment concerns satisfaction with drinking water. In 2022, water company customers gave their water a score of 8.6 out of 10. However, this satisfaction is measured once every three years, so there are not enough data to calculate a trend for 2016-2023.