Land use; main categories; regional, 1900 onwards

This table provides information about the land use of the area of the Netherlands and the changes in land use.

This table is based on the Bestand Bodemgebruik (BBG), which literally translates as the ‘land use file’. For intervening base years without a BBG, this table just presents total area statistics for the presented regions.

Previously published base years in this table are never revised for corrections established when a newer BBG-edition is produced. Such corrections consist of corrections of earlier misinterpretations and of improved interpretations based on new sources. The corrections are recorded in the so-called Mutatiebestand (the mutations file) which is part of each BBG publication. See Bestand Bodemgebruik for further information on correction of the land use statistics and for available publications.

Due to the longstanding tradition of these statistics (since the year 1900) this table contains some composite categories. These composite categories consist of two or more of the land use categories as they are in use in the contemporary Bestand Bodemgebruik. These composite categories are the subtotals ‘Industry, business, public institutions’, ‘Other semi built-up area’, ‘Other recreation usage’, ‘Natural open area’ and ‘Water total’. See the ‘Topics/Classifications’ section of this table for further specifications of these composite categories.


Data available since: 1900.

Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are final.

Changes as of November 2022:
Addition of land use statistics of 2017.
Addition of total area statistics of 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

When will new figures be published?
For the base years 2000 to 2017 this table is based on the Bestand Bodemgebruik (BBG). The production methods and the specifications of the Bestand Bodemgebruik are currently subject of process redesign. The first publications of the thus re-newed land use statistics are expected in the year 2024. Whether or not this table will be supplemented with these new statistics has not yet been decided upon. See Bestand Bodemgebruik for further information on the redesign of these land use statistics.