Well-being ‘here and now’: housing
Housing concerns people’s living situation. A home provides shelter, safety, privacy and personal space. A good and affordable home in a pleasant neighbourhood with access to different services contributes to quality of life.
- Even though housing is becoming more expensive, it is taking up a smaller share of income.
- The percentage of young adults living at home is rising, but compared with other EU countries relatively few young adults still live with their parents in the Netherlands.
- More than 85 percent of the adult population say they are satisfied with their housing situation and living environment.
Housing
in EU
in 2023
in EU
in 2023
in EU
in 2017
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | Median housing costs (rented and own homes) | 20.8% of disposable household income in 2023 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 23rd out of 27 in 2023 | Low ranking |
| Housing | Young adults (25-29 years) living with parents | 20.8% live with parent(s), on 1 January in 2024 | increasing (decrease well-being) | 4th out of 27 in 2023 | High ranking |
| Housing | Satisfaction with housing | 86.7% of the population over 18 are satisfied or very satisfied in 2024 | 8th out of 27 in 2017 | Middle ranking |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
People in the Netherlands are generally satisfied with their homes: 86.7 percent were satisfied or very satisfied in 2024. Housing is becoming more expensive all the time, but in spite of price rises, households are spending a shrinking proportion of their incomes on total living expenses. The housing ratio – median housing costs as a proportion of disposable income, i.e. the percentage of income that households spend on housing on average – is decreasing. In 2023, the figure stood at 20.8 percent. In spite of this fall, the housing ratio is still high compared with other EU countries. A measure of the shortages in the housing market, and of the availability of homes for new entrants, is the proportion of young adults aged between 25 and 29 who are still living with one or both parents. On 1 January 2024, the share was 20.8 percent and the trend is upwards. Compared with other EU countries, the proportion of young adults still living at home remains relatively low.
The SDG 11.1 Housing dashboard provides more details. It reveals that the quality of Dutch homes is generally high. Since measurements began in 2005, each year more than 80 percent of residents have reported that their homes have no serious defects – such as a leaking roof, rotting window frames or damp walls, floors or foundations. However, in 2024 this proportion decreased by almost 9 percentage points compared to 2023, to 76.3 percent. 2024 was a relatively wet year, exacerbating damp problems.
The number of available homes has been growing for decades. By the end of 2024, the housing stock comprised nearly 8.3 million homes, 70,000 more than in 2023. In terms of well-being this is all favourable. Nevertheless, there are tensions in the housing market: the housing stock is still not keeping pace with demand and there are growing concerns about the affordability of the limited number of available homes. ABF Research estimates a 5 percent shortfall in the housing stock for 2024, equivalent to around 400,000 homes. In 2023, 11.6 percent of all homes had district heating or electricity as their primary form of heating, with only a limited amount of supplementary gas being consumed if any. The increasing proportion of low-gas homes is contributing to the energy transition.
The SDG 11.1 dashboard also contains a number of indicators relating to the affordability of rental and owner-occupied homes. Rental prices, the cost of buying and owning homes and average mortgage debt are all on the rise (shown in red). Set against these deteriorations in affordability is an improving trend in the loan-to-value ratio for owner-occupied homes of households with a primary earner younger than 35. The trend in perceived housing costs is also improving. In 2024, seven percent of the population regarded their housing-related costs as very high. In 2023, the Netherlands had the lowest percentage for this indicator within the EU.
The quality of the living environment is considered in SDG 11.2 Living environment. In 2024, 86.4 percent of the population were satisfied with their living environment. It is also striking that the amount of living space per inhabitant is on a downward trend and that native species of breeding birds which are characteristic of urban areas are under pressure. A relatively high number of Dutch people experience high levels of noise nuisance from neighbours and traffic, and the trend is upwards. There are positive developments in air quality: emissions of acidifying substances are falling and urban exposure to the finest particulate matter is declining.