Health, lifestyle, health care use and supply, causes of death; from 1900
Explanation of symbols
Dataset is not available.
This table presents a wide variety of historical data in the field of health, lifestyle and health care. Figures on births and mortality, causes of death and the occurrence of certain infectious diseases are available from 1900, other series from later dates.
In addition to self-perceived health, the table contains figures on infectious diseases, hospitalisations per diagnosis, life expectancy, lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity, and causes of death. The table also gives information on several aspects of health care, such as the number of practising professionals, the number of available hospital beds, nursing day averages and the expenditures on care.
Many subjects are also covered in more detail by data in other tables, although sometimes with a shorter history. Data on notifiable infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS are not included in other tables.
Data available from: 1900
Status of the figures:
2023:
The available figures are definite.
2022:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS;
- expenditure on care.
2021:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS;
- hospital admissions according to diagnosis;
- quantitative hospital data;
- health professions.
Figures are revised provisional for:
- expenditure on healthcare.
2020:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS.
Figures are revised provisional for:
- expenditure on healthcare.
2019 and earlier:
Most available figures are definite.
Due to 'dynamic' registrations, figures for notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS remain provisional.
Changes as of 22 December 2023:
- For each series the most recent available figures have been added.
When will new figures be published?
December 2024.
Description topics
- Demographic key figures
- Total number of people residing in the Netherlands on 1 January, number of live born children and persons deceased.
- Population on January 1
- Total number of people residing in the Netherlands on 1 January. In the
population statistics compiled by Statistics Netherlands, inhabitants are
people registered in the municipal population registers.
In principle, everybody living in the Netherlands for an indefinite
period is recorded in the population register of the municipality of
residence. The population register does not include persons for whom
official exceptions are made (e.g. diplomats and NATO military
personnel), and persons residing in the Netherlands illegally.
- Health status
- Health as perceived by the person him/herself as well as health as
assessed by medical professionals; the latter in terms of occurrence of
notifiable infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, use of medication, and private
sector sickness absence.- Persons with complete dentures
- The percentage of persons in the population aged 16 years or older with
upper and lower dentures. From 2010 these figures are no longer available.
- Use of health care services
- Contacts with health professionals and hospital admissions.
- Contacts with health professionals
- Percentage of persons in the population aged 0 years or older who had contacted the health professional concerned at least once in the 12 months preceding the survey date.
Due to changes in methodology and questionnaire, data before and after 2010 cannot fully be compared.- General practitioner (GP)
- Contacts with a GP in the Netherlands:
- visits to a GP,
- GP home visits,
- telephone consultations,
- other contacts
Contacts with a locum and the emergency GP service are included, contacts
with the GP surgery assistant are not.
- Medical specialist
- Contacts with a specialist in the Netherlands:
- at the outpatient clinic,
- in hospital,
- at the emergency department,
- at practice outside the hospital or
- at a private clinic.
Contacts with specialists during hospital admissions are not included.
- Dentist
- Visits to a dentist in the Netherlands. Contacts with the dental
hygienist, orthodontist and oral surgeon are not included.
- Physiotherapist or exercise therapist
- Contact with a therapist for physical or exercise therapy. Physio- or
exercise therapy during hospital admission is not included.
Until 2010, the figures are restricted to physiotherapy.
- Alternative healer
- Contacts with a homeopath, anthroposophist, acupuncturist, chiropractor,
osteopath, phyto therapist or herbalist, naturopath, magnetizer or
paranormal healer, faith healer or religious healer and / or other healer.
- Birth and life expectancy
- Perinatal mortality, average age of mother at birth of first child,
number of multiple births and (healthy) life expectancy at birth.- Healthy life expectancy at birth
- Number of years a baby is expected to live in good health when it is
born. Good health is defined as absence of chronic disease, absence of
physical limitations, or perceived good health.- Life expect. without physical limit.
- Life expectancy without major physical problems is calculated on the
basis of data on long- term limitations in mobility, sight and hearing.
People who reply 'yes, without difficulty' or 'yes, with a little
difficulty' are defined as having no physical limitations.
- Can you follow a conversation in a group of 3 or more people (with or
without a hearing aid)?
- Can you have a conversation with one other person (with or without a
hearing aid)?
- Is your sight good enough to read the small print in the newspaper
(with or without glasses or contact lenses)?
- Are you able to recognise somebody's face at a distance of 4 metres
(with or without glasses or contact lenses)?
- Can you carry an object weighing 5 kilos, for example a shopping bag,
over a distance of 10 metres?
- Can you bend down from an upright position to pick something up from
the floor?
- Can you walk a distance of 400 metres without stopping (with or without
a walking stick)?
These questions are included in the Integrated System of Social Surveys
(POLS) and are asked only of persons aged 12 years or older. In the
calculation of life expectancy without physical limitations it is assumed
that these disorders do not occur in persons under the age of 12.- Men
- Women
- Life expectancy without chronic dis.
- A number of diseases leading to death or seriously affecting quality of
life were selected to determine life expectancy without chronic disease.
People who did not have or had not had any of the following diseases in
the twelve months preceding the survey are defined as not suffering from
chronic disease.
- serious heart condition and/or myocardial infarction (12 years or older)
- asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema or chronic non-specific
pulmonary disease
- cancer
- stroke (12 years or older)
- diabetes
- serious or chronic gastrointestinal disorders
- chronic arthritis (Bechterew's disease, chronic rheumatism, rheumatoid
arthritis)
- serious or chronic backache (including slipped disk)
- degenerative arthritis in hips or knees (12 years or older)
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- migraine or recurring serious headaches
Questions on chronic diseases are included in the Integrated System of
Social Surveys (POLS). Serious heart condition and/or myocardial
infarction, stroke and degenerative arthritis in hips or knees) are
assumed not to occur in children under 12 years of age.- Men
- Women