Land use; all categories, municipalities
Explanation of symbols
Dataset is not available.
This table provides information about the land use of the area of the Netherlands and the changes in land use.
Data available from: 1996.
Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are final.
Changes as of 26 April 2023:
Addition of 2017 figures.
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 a digital map, being a part of each BBG publication. See Bestand Bodemgebruik for further information on correction of the land use statistics and for available publications.
As of reporting year 2016, Statistics Netherlands no longer publishes data on metropolitan agglomerations and urban regions. Various social developments have rendered the philosophy and methodology underlying the delineation outdated. It furthermore appears that other agencies are using a different classification of metropolitan agglomerations and urban regions depending on the area of application. This means there is no longer a consensus on which standard applies.
The metropolitan agglomerations and urban regions will not be published anymore from 2015 onwards as a default regional figure.
When will new figures be published?
After the addition of the 2017 land use figures all updates to this table will be stopped.
The methodology of the land use statistics, as it has been in use up to the 2017-edition, is being redesigned. See for further information on this redesign and the availability of land use statistics based on the new methodology the web page Bestand Bodemgebruik.
Description topics
- Built-up area
- Area in use for residents, work, shopping, cultural facilities and public amenities.
- Built-up area total
- Total area of the main group ‘Built-on area’.
- Residential
- Area mainly used for residents, including primary amenities.
Including
- housing areas;
- primary amenities e.g. (local) shops, primary schools;
- local offices of e.g. banks;
- green areas smaller than 1 hectare;
- streets and local parking areas;
- courtyards, gardens;
- playing grounds;
- trailer camp (excluding wreckage areas larger than 0,1 hectare).
If residential areas are inside woodland, the total area is assignated as residential if a street pattern can be recognized.
- Retail trade, hotel and catering
- Area in use for concentrated retail trade and catering activities.
Including
- shopping centre, often with a pedestrian zone (even if above the shops there are residents);
- markets of goods;
- area with companies in the hotel and catering industry;
- associated parking areas.
- Public institutions
- Area in use of general use, like community homes, police offices and utility services.
Including
- administration buildings;
- municipal offices (stadskantoor), office public works;
- border post (customs etc);
- provincial office;
- police offices, fire brigades, courts, jails;
- utility services (gas, water, electricity, central city heating and central areal parts-constructions) including the associated area;
- water treatment plant and incinerators, including the storage buildings;
- storage areas for the administration, excluding the ones for maintenance of roads;
- militair objects, like depots of ammunition, barracs, mobilisation complexes, radar posts and shooting ranges;
- fort (former);
- associated parking areas and forest- or shrublines.
Public services are mainly limited on the map by a fence. As the limit of the object, the location of the fence is used.
- Socio-cultural facilities
- Area in use by social and cultural facilities as hospitals, universities and musea.
Including
- secondary schools and schools of applied science;
- boarding school;
- conference centre;
- hospital, sanatorium, nursing home, psychiatrist hospital etc.;
- church, cloister, museum (including castles that are open to the public), excluding open air museum;
- theatre, cinema, concert- and congress hall;
- cultural centre;
- community centre, club house, youth association;
- sheltered workshop;
- associated parking areas and forest- or shrublines.
Social and cultural facilities are mainly limited on the map by a fence. As the limit of the object, the location of the fence is used.
- Industrial area and offices
- Area in use for industry, retail and business services.
Including
- industrial area;
- harbour area;
- auction area;
- exhibition area;
- cattle market (including covered areas);
- wholesale business area;
- area with banks, insurance companies etc.;
- associated storage areas and parking areas;
- garages (including parking areas);
- garage of bus companies;
- offices;
- associated parking areas.
Excluding included non-used areas or areas not yet ready for building or construction, these are assigned to building sites.
- Semi built-up area
- Area with a certain amount of paving, not in use as traffic area or built-up area.
- Semi built-up area total
- Total area of the main group ‘Semi built-up area’.
- Dumping site
- Area for the storage of waste.
Including
- dumping site;
- associated parking areas and forest- or shrublines.
- Car wreck site
- Area for the storage and scrapping of carwrecks.
Including
- area for the storage and scrapping of carwrecks;
- scrapyard;
- associated parking areas and forest- or shrublines.
Excluding
- area of the scrapping industry.
Minimum size of 0,1 hectare.
- Cemetery
- Area in use for cemeteries and cremations.
Including
- area for the burial of people or animals;
- crematorium;
- associated buildings, parking areas, gardens and forest- or shrublines.
Minimum size of 0,1 hectare.
- Mining area
- Area for winning materials from the bottom or soil.
Including
- area for deep- and shallow extraction of raw materials;
- associated buildings, parking areas, storage areas of extracted materials and waste.
Raw materials include
- natural gas;
- petroleum;
- stone;
- gravel;
- clay;
- loam;
- marl;
- peat;
- sand;
- salt.
Mining areas of natural gas and petroleum are mainly limited on the map by a fence. As the limit of the object, the location of the fence is used.
Minimum size of 0,5 hectare.
- Building site
- Area in use for construction.
including
- area of construction or with preparing traces;
- fallow land on industrial- and office areas.
- Other semi built-up area
- Area of other use with a certain amount of pavement.
including
- a dyke that is not overgrown with grass;
- pier above sea;
- fallow land that can not be recognized as building site;
- railway out of use.
For longitudinal piers and embankments that are connected to the land, the minimum size is 0,1 hectare.
- Recreation
- Area in use for recreation.
- Area for daytrips
- Area in use for daytrips like zoos, open air musea and attraction parks.
Including
- camping for only day use;
- zoo and safaripark;
- fairypark;
- amusement park;
- open air museum;
- yacht-basin excluding the water, but including the area of associated industry with a minimum size of 0,1 hectare;
- associated parking areas and forest- or shrublines.
- natural area with grass or shrubs (not for agriculture and not dry natural open area), designed with footpaths or bikelanes and recreational objects like seats.
Including the categories if they do not belong to park or public garden:
- playing grounds;
- picknick areas;
- deerpark;
- children’s farm;
- miniature golf;
- playing field.
Minimum size for yacht-basins (the land part) of 0,1 hectare.
- Woodland and nature
- Area with forest or natural open area.
- Dry natural open area
- Open area with a dry surface, mainly nature.
Including
- dry heather;
- grasslike natural area (not for agricultural use);
- dunes;
- sand drift;
- sandbar;
- beach.
- Wet natural open area
- Open area with a wet surface, mainly nature.
Including
- wet heather;
- reed and rush (including cultivations);
- salt marsh (not innundated at normal high tides);
- tidal soil, if barren;
- bluegrass land.
Excluding
- osier bed;
- wet woodland.
- Inland water
- Inland water in use as waterway, recreational water, mining area, sewage or sludge farm, water reservoir, including IJsselmeer.
- Area for storing industrial water
- Area for separing water and sediments, or for storage of (polluted) harboursludge.
Including
- storage area of the segregation of water and sediment;
- storage area of (polluted) harboursludge.