Well-being ‘here and now’: environment
Environment concerns the quality of the environment in which people live. A healthy living environment is characterised by clean air, clean water, sufficient and a healthy natural environment of sufficient quality and biodiversity, and soil that is free from pollution.
- Biodiversity is declining in many areas, but there are exceptions.
- Air quality is improving.
- In 2024, a greater proportion of the population was affected by pollution and contamination or other environmental problems than in 2023. Three out of every ten households also suffered from noise pollution. This proportion is increasing over time.
Environment
in EU
in 2023
in EU
in 2019
in EU
in 2023
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environment | Managed natural assets (terrestrial) within NNN | 20.9% of total land area on 31 December in 2023 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Environment | Quality of inland bathing waters | 71.3% qualified as 'excellent' in 2024 | 17th out of 25 in 2023 | Middle ranking | |
| Environment | Nitrogen deposition and terrestrial nature areas | 71.4% of terrestrial nature areas suffer from critical load exceedance in 2023 | decreasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Environment | Urban exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) | 8.0 microgram PM2.5 per m3 in 2023 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 8th out of 26 in 2019 | Middle ranking |
| Environment | Environmental problems | 17.4% of the population over 16 experience problems in 2024 | 19th out of 26 in 2023 | Middle ranking |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
The area of managed nature reserves has been growing, albeit very gradually since 2017. The Netherlands Nature Network (NNN) includes both existing and planned nature reserves on land in the Netherlands. In 2023, NNN areas accounted for 20.9 percent of the total land area of the Netherlands.
Biodiversity is declining. Urban bird populations have fallen by over 10 percent since measurements began in 2007 (SDG 11.2 Living environment). The population of farmland birds and the populations or distribution (depending on the species) of Dutch land fauna are falling (SDG15 Life on land). The decline points to a deterioration of living conditions. The proportion of nature on land suffering from excess nitrogen is falling, but still amounts to 71.4 percent of the total. Excess nitrogen has negative consequences for the quality of nature, results in reductions in rare plant and animal species and increases the risk of vulnerable plant species disappearing. SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation shows that the chemical and biological quality of water in nature is lacking. In 2024, 0.0 percent of the area of fresh surface water met the chemical quality standard and 5.1 percent met the biological quality standard. Biodiversity which is dependent on fresh surface water is increasing, however.
Air quality is improving. In 2023, the weighted annual average particulate matter concentration in urban areas was 8.0 micrograms PM2.5 per m3. This relates to the finer fraction of particulate matter, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause inflammation, which is particularly harmful to people with cardiovascular and lung diseases. Emissions of substances that cause acidification (sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and ammonia) have also been falling for years, and in 2024 reached the lowest level since measurements began in 1995, at 0.84 tons of acid equivalents per capita (SDG 11.2 Living environment).
Recently, the percentage of the population (aged 16 and above) affected by pollution and contamination or other environmental problems has increased significantly: from 14.5 percent in 2023 to 17.4 percent in 2024. This is the highest proportion ever recorded. For a long time, the figure was stable at approximately 15 percent. Noise pollution caused by neighbours or traffic is also increasing (SDG 11.2 Living environment). In 2024, three out of every ten households were affected by noise pollution from these sources. This proportion is high compared with other EU countries: in 2023, the Netherlands ranked 23rd out of 26 countries.