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
- 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 in (very) good health
- People answering 'good' or 'very good' to the question 'Generally
speaking, how is your health?'. Other possible answers are 'moderate',
'bad' and 'very bad'.
- 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.
- Sickness absence
- The number of days employees are absent because of illness (excluding
maternity leave) as a percentage of the total number of working or
calender days. The figures refer to all businesses and institutions,
until 2004 excluding the public sector. From 2005 also absence beyond one
year is included.
- 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.
- Hospital admissions by some diagnoses
- Overnight admissions to general and university hospitals and hospitals specialising in one type of disease. Admissions are included if the date of discharge is within the year under review. Starting 2013, one-day admissions are counted only in case of death of the patient or transport to an other hospital.
Diagnoses are recorded according to the 'International Classification of Diseases'. Up to 2013 version 9 was used (ICD-9-CM), From 2013 onwards version 10 (ICD-10) is used.
Diagnoses are classified according to the International Shortlist for Hospital Morbidity Tabulation (ISHMT). Categories are definied slightly different using ICD-9 (up to 2013) or ICD-10 (from 2013).
Figures on diagnoses refer to the principal diagnosis registered at each admission, as indicated at discharge form the hospital.
The figures are expressed per 10 000 of the population in the year under review.- Mental and behavioural disorders
- ICD-codes:
ICD-9: 290-319
ICD-10: F00-F99.
- Factors influencing health status
- Factors influencing health status and contact with health services.
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: V01-V82
ICD-10: Z00-Z99.- Total factors influencing health status
- Total factors influencing health status and contact with health services.
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: V01-V82
ICD-10: Z00-Z99.
- Liveborn infants
- Liveborn infants according to place of birth ("healthy newborn babies").
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: V30-V39
ICD-10: Z38.
- Other care (e.g. radio and chemother.)
- Other medical care (including radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions).
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: V07.1, V58
ICD-10: Z51.
- Care supply
- Quantitative data on hospitals, health professionals and costs of care.
- Health professions
- Until 1998, the figures refer either to the number of active professionals or to the number of registered professionals on 31 December of the year concerned, depending on the profession.
From 1999, the figures apply to qualified medically trained professionals registered in the official health professions register (BIG-register) on the reference date (last Friday in September), who are employed in the Dutch care sector or care-related activities, depending on the type of profession. They include Dutch residents and non-residents who work in the Netherlands.- General practitioners (GPs)
- Up to 1998: The number of active general practitioners, including self-employed and
those employed by others.
From 1999: the number of BIG-registered general practitioners working in the Dutch care sector.
- Medical specialists
- Persons registered as a physician specialising in one of the official areas of medicine as designated by the board of medical specialists.
Up to 1983: number of active professionals; From 1984 to 1998: registered professionals.
From 1999: the number of BIG-registered medical specialists working in the Dutch care sector.
- Social welfare doctors
- Physicians who treat medical problems related to living, housing and job situation, including occupational physicians, insurance physicians and public health physicians.
Up to 1998: the number of registered social welfare doctors.
From 1999: the number of BIG-registered social welfare doctors working in the Dutch care sector, or care-related activities.
Care-related activities:
Activities that are not officially part of the Dutch care sector, but where care professionals may be expected to be active, e.g. in education, government, or in care-related industries such as health insurance or the pharmaceutical industry.
- Dentists
- Up to 1998: Professionally active dentists.
From 1999: the number of BIG-registered dentists working in the Dutch care sector.
- Pharmacists
- Persons trained and licensed to prepare and sell medicine.
Up to 1998: Pharmacists active in pharmacies or hospitals.
From 1999: the number of BIG-registered pharmacists working in the Dutch care sector or in pharmacies (not included in the care sector).
- Midwives/obstetricians
- Persons trained to monitor pregnancies through regular check-ups, and to assist during childbirth.
Up to 1998: midwives/obstetricians active in their own practice, in hospitals or as locums.
From 1999: the number of BIG-registered midwives/obstetricians working in the Dutch care sector.
- 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. in experienced good health
- The calculation of healthy life expectancy is based on the answer to the
question 'How is your general state of health?' People who reply 'good'
or 'excellent' are defined as healthy. Questions on self-reported health
are included in the Integrated System of Social Surveys (POLS).- Men
- Women