SDG 10.1 Social cohesion and inequality

The first part of SDG 10 is about social cohesion, inclusion and equality. Social cohesion is indispensable for the proper functioning of a society. Family, neighbours, friends and clubs are the foundation on which people build their lives, providing essential help and support. People should have equal opportunities to participate in society.

• For the first time in years, the share of people who report having social interactions at least once a week has stopped declining.
• A growing proportion of the population provided unpaid assistance to others outside their own household in their spare time.
• Trust in other people is relatively high and rising.
• A relatively large number of people feel discriminated against.

Dashboard and indicators

Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being

Social relationships and participation in society are essential for well-being ‘here and now’ and ‘later’. They promote social cohesion, strengthen mutual trust and shared norms and values, and reduce the risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Resources and opportunities refers to social capital, social structures, poverty, and income and wealth inequality. Income inequality is relatively low and stable in the Netherlands. The 80/20 ratio measures the difference between the total income of households in the top quintile and households in the bottom quintile. In 2023, the income of the top quintile was just over four times higher than that of the bottom quintile, putting the Netherlands in seventh place in the EU-27 for this indicator. At 0.28, the Netherlands’ Gini coefficient for income was relatively low in 2023 (fifth place in the EU-27). This coefficient measures how standardised disposable income is distributed among households. It has a value between 0 and 1: the closer it is to 0, the more evenly incomes are distributed.

The Gini coefficient for wealth inequality stood at 0.72 in 2023, indicating a downward trend. For the less wealthy, an owner-occupied home is usually the most important asset. Among the most wealthy, other assets, whose value has risen less sharply in recent years, account for a larger proportion of net worth. This is why the significant appreciation of owner-occupied homes up to 2023 led to a reduction in wealth inequality SDG 10.2 Financial sustainability between households.

A low income can prevent people from fully participating in society. In 2024, 12.1 percent of the Dutch population were living below the European poverty line (60 percent of the median income in the Netherlands). This placed the Netherlands among the top countries in the EU ranking for this indicator (fourth out of 14). Since the European poverty line is a relative measure that categorises people relative to others within the same country, it does not necessarily indicate a low standard of living in absolute terms. SDG 1 No poverty shows that poverty is decreasing according to the basic needs indicator. The proportion of people living in a poor household for three years or more is also declining, falling to 1.0 percent in 2023, or almost 175,000 people.

Use refers to social interactions and participation in society through organisations and clubs, including volunteer work. For the first time in years, the number of self-reported social interactions has stopped declining. In 2024, 72 percent of people met with family members, friends or neighbours at least once a week. Only in Portugal did a larger share of people have regular social contacts. More than 40 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 and over took part in club activities at least once a month. This figure is also high compared to the rest of the EU-27. Approximately half of the population participated in organised volunteer work in 2024, and a growing percentage of the population (aged 15 and over) provided unpaid informal assistance to others outside their own household in their free time.

Outcomes refers to poverty risk, social cohesion, and exclusion and discrimination. In 2024, nearly 80 percent of the population reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their social life. Although this figure has decreased since 2013 (the first year that this was measured), when it was 83.5 percent, it is no longer trending downwards. The way people from other countries are perceived is an indicator of social cohesion and the accessibility of society. Whereas 36.9 percent of Dutch people aged 15 and over had a positive opinion of immigrants in 2020, this had decreased to 30.5 percent in 2023. The self-employed are vulnerable when it comes to social security. Unlike employees, they have to take care of their own disability insurance, pension and other income insurance. In 2022, 3.7 percent of self-employed people lived in a poor household, a figure that is falling.

Subjective assessment refers to people’s trust in each other, feelings of shared norms and values, and social exclusion. Approximately two-thirds of the population aged 15 and over say they trust other people, indicating an upward trend. This figure is also high compared with other EU countries: in 2023, the Netherlands was in second place, behind Finland. A third of the Dutch population has a lower level of trust in other people.

Meanwhile, a relatively large share of people feel discriminated against, only one in five people believe that norms and values are moving in the right direction, and fewer people feel like they have control over their own lives. In 2023, 12 percent of the population aged 15 and over identified as belonging to a discriminated group. This is approximately the same as in 2020 and the second highest percentage of the 19 EU countries that can be compared. Shared norms and values bind people together and promote social cohesion within a society. In 2024, approximately 20 percent of adults felt that norms and values were either stable or evolving in the right direction. At the same time, 35 percent believed that things were clearly moving in the wrong direction in this area, and 44 percent felt that negative developments slightly outweighed positive changes. In 2022 and 2023, just over half of the Dutch population (52.7 percent in 2022 and 52.5 percent in 2023) reported having a high degree of freedom to make their own choices in life. In 2024, this figure fell to 48.2 percent.