Well-being human capital

Human capital concerns the knowledge and skills that people build up during their lives and their state of health, which enables them to develop and make full use of their capacities, function effectively within society and manage their own lives.

• More than four million Dutch people regarded their health as less than good in 2024.
• More and more hours are being worked per inhabitant.
• Approximately a quarter of 15- to 74-year-olds had no basic educational qualification in 2024.

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

Some of the relevant indicators for human capital are also addressed in themes under well-being ‘here and now’. This theme considers the resources underlying human capital which future generations will need to ensure their well-being. If the current generation exhausts or diminishes the availability of the various forms of capital, the following generation will not be able to achieve the same level of well-being ‘here and now’.

A healthy population is favourable for later generations. Healthy life expectancy indicates how long after their birth people can expect to remain in good health. The indicator is a combination of life expectancy at birth and self-perceived health. In 2024, the healthy life expectancy of men was 63.5 years, while the figure for women was 62.0 years. In the European figures for life expectancy without disability, the Netherlands was in the middle of the EU ranking for men in 2022 (16th out of 27) but nearly at the bottom for women (25th out of 27).

SDG 3 Good health and well-being shows that 76.6 percent of the Dutch population described their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in 2024. This implies that more than four million Dutch people regard their health as less than good. In 2024, 4.5 percent of the population (aged 16 and over) faced serious limitations in their normal daily activities due to long-term health problems. The percentage is falling, although it still represents over 650,000 people.

More and more hours are being worked per inhabitant. This increase in the number of hours worked per inhabitant is consistent with the rise in net labour force participation and the fall in unused labour potential (SDG 8.2 Labour and leisure time).

The proportion of the population aged 15 to 74 with a higher vocational or university qualification increased, to 37 percent in 2024. This proportion is high compared with other European countries. Having a basic educational qualification makes it easier for people to participate in society. Approximately a quarter of 15 to 74-year-olds had no basic educational qualification in 2024. This proportion is high compared with the EU27, although it is falling. The share of the population with an educational attainment of senior general secondary education (HAVO), pre-university education (VWO) or level 2-4 secondary vocational education (MBO) fell to 36.7 percent of 15- to 74-year-olds in 2024. This is a small proportion compared with other EU countries. In contrast, the percentage of the adult population following a course or training (‘lifelong learning’) is relatively high (SDG 4 Quality education). Distribution shows, inter alia, the differences between population groups with different levels of educational attainment for aspects of well-being.

The maths skills of 15-year-olds are strong compared with other EU countries, whereas their reading skills are relatively weak. Reading skills have been declining since 2012, and fell further between 2018 and 2022. Nearly 83 percent of inhabitants aged between 16 and 74 have at least basic digital skills. That is the highest percentage in the EU.