Health, lifestyle, health care use and supply, causes of death; key figures
Explanation of symbols
Table explanation
This table provides an overview of the key figures on health and care available on StatLine. All figures are taken from other tables on StatLine, either directly or through a simple conversion. In the original tables, breakdowns by characteristics of individuals or other variables are possible.
The period after the year of review before data become available differs between the data series.
The number of exam passes/graduates in year t is the number of persons who obtained a diploma in school/study year starting in t-1 and ending in t.
Data available from: 2001
Status of the figures:
2025:
All available figures are definite.
2024:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- causes of death;
- diagnoses known to the general practitioner;
- supplied drugs;
- AWBZ/Wlz-funded long term care;
- youth care;
- persons employed in health and welfare;
- persons employed in healthcare;
- Mbo health care graduates;
- Hbo nursing graduates / medicine graduates (university);
- expenditures on health and welfare;
- average distance to facilities;
- profitability and operating results at institutions;
2023:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- hospital admissions by some diagnoses;
- average period of hospitalisation;
- physicians and nurses employed in care;
- persons employed in health and welfare;
- persons employed in healthcare;
Figures are revised provisional for:
- expenditures on health and welfare.
2022:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are revised provisional for:
- expenditures on health and welfare.
2021 and earlier:
All available figures are definite.
Changes as of 18 December 2025:
More recent figures have been added for:
- crude birth rate;
- live births to teenage mothers;
- perinatal mortality at pregnancy duration at least 24 weeks;
- diagnoses known to the general practitioner;
- supplied drugs;
- persons aged 80 or older;
- AWBZ/Wlz-funded long term care;
- youth care;
- expenditures on health and welfare;
- average distance to facilities;
- profitability and operating results at institutions;
When will new figures be published?
New figures will be published in July 2026.
Description topics
- Births, deaths and life expectancy
- Crude birth rate, the number of live births to teenage mothers and older mothers, some causes of death, perinatal mortality, life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
- Live births to teenage mothers
- Live born children to mothers younger than 20 years at the infant's birth.
Mother’s age (exact):
The number of whole years that have passed since the mother's date of birth.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- Life expectancy
- The number of years someone of a certain age is expected to live, assuming the mortality risk remains the same.
- At age 65, men
- At age 65, women
- Life expectancy in perceived good health
- The number of years a person can expect to live in perceived good health, assuming the mortality risk and risks for good/poor health remain the same.
People are considered healthy when answering 'good' or 'very good' to the CBS Health Survey question 'How is your health in general?' .- At age 65, men
- At age 65, women
- Use of health care services
- Average period of hospitalisation, supplied drugs, number of contacts with health care providers, AWBZ/Wlz- funded long term care, including persons older than 80 in the population, youth care.
- Average period of hospitalisation
- Number of nursing days in a given period divided by the number of patients admitted.
- Individuals with supplied drugs
- The number of persons prescribed drugs that are reimbursed under compulsory health care insurance, expressed as a percentage of the total population. The total population consists of all people registered in the municipal population register (GBA) in the year under review.
Based on article codes, the drugs are classified by ATC class (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system). In this WHO (World Health Organization) classification, drugs are divided into different groups according to the organ or system which they affect and/or their therapeutic and chemical characteristics.- Some groups of drugs
- Diabetes drugs
- ATC-code: A10.
- Beta blocking agents
- ATC-code: C07.
- Lipid modifying agents
- Cholesterol-lowering agents.
ATC-code: C10 .
- Antibiotics
- Antibacterials for systemic use, antibiotics
ATC-code: J01.
- Antidepressants
- ATC-code: N06A.
- Drugs for obstructive airway diseases
- ATC-code: R03.
- AWBZ/Wlz-funded long term care
Residential care funded under the Exceptional Medical Expenses Act (AWBZ, before 2015), and care funded under the Chronic Care Act (Wlz, starting 2015).- Persons aged 80 or older
- The population aged 80 or older on 1 January of the year under review, as registered in the municipal population register (BRP).
- Persons with AWBZ/Wlz-funded (res.) care
- The number of persons aged 18 years or older at the end of the year (second Friday of November) receiving residential care under the Exceptional Medical Expenses Act (AWBZ, before 2015) and care funded under the Chronic Care Act (Wlz, starting 2015), for which a personal contribution was paid.
AWBZ-funded residential care includes all care received in kind in an institution, for which costs are borne by the AWBZ.
Short stay in an institution is also included.
Wlz care includes care for people who permanently require 24-hour care nearby and/or permanent supervision, the costs of which are charged under the Long-term Care Act (Wlz).
Persons under 18 years of age do not have to pay a personal contribution.
As of 2011, residential care is classified according to the type of care received, expressed in care severity packages (zzp's).
There are zzps for Nursing and Care (VV), Disability Care (GHZ) and Long-Term Mental Health Care (GGZ) sectors.- No care package (zzp)
- Care for which no care package is known may occurr in the following situations:
- in the case of an older needs assessment for AWBZ-funded care, remaining valid for the duration of the needs assessment
- in the case of AWBZ-funded short-term stay.
- in the case of Wlz-care paid with a personal budget (PGB)
- in the case of use of care in the form of a modular package at home (mpt). Persons with mpt who have a registered care package are included in 'No care package (zzp)' from 2015 to 2019.
- Health and social care expenditure
- Expenditure on medical care, long-term care, welfare and social services, youth care and child care. Care includes provision of services and goods. Expenditure includes care provided to non-residents by Dutch care providers. As it concerns final use expenditure, industry and wholesale figures do not count, as these sectors do not supply their products directly to consumers/patients. Also, expenditure on cross-supplies between care providers does not count. Care expenditure expressed in actual prices indicates expenditure in prices of the year under review and reflects value trends. It refers to expenditure on care goods and services by all institutions, practices and organisations providing those goods and services; providers for whom it is not their main work also count.
These figures refer to a broader definition than internationally used in the System of Health Accounts, that refers to health care including long term nursing care (health).
Due to the revision of the 2021 Health and social care expenditure statistics, figures for 2021-2023 are not easily comparable with previous years.- Expenditure as percentage of the GDP
- Total expenditure on health and social care expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Due to the revision of the 2021 Health and social care expenditure statistics, figures for 2021-2023 are not easily comparable with previous years.
- Care supply
- Quantitative data on care providers: distance to care provider, institutions with small profitability, share of overhead in institutions.
- Average distance to facilities
- The average distance of all residents of the Netherlands from their residential address to a number of the nearest facilities.
- GP practice
- The average distance of all residents of the Netherlands to the nearest GP practice, by road.
GP Practice
Building or room in which one or more GPs work.
- Emergency GP
- The average distance of all residents of the Netherlands to the nearest emergency GP, by road.
Emergency GP
Location where general practitioners from a certain region provide evening, night and GP services. Some GPs do rotating shifts. The distance from a residential address to the emergency GP in a shift cluster is the average of the distances to all GPs in that cluster.
- Pharmacy
- The average distance of all residents of the Netherlands to the nearest pharmacy, by road.
Pharmacies include dispensing GP surgeries.
- Hospital (incl. outpatients clinic)
- The average distance of all residents of the Netherlands to the nearest hospital (including outpatients clinic), by road.
Hospital
Institution for research, treatment and nursing of the sick. Patients can be admitted to a hospital for more than 24 hours, and major surgery may be performed there.
Outpatients clinic
Location of a hospital where non-bedridden patients are treated or monitored. Patients do not stay for longer than 24 hours and no major surgery is performed there.
- Physiotherapist
- The average distance of all residents of the Netherlands to the nearest physiotherapist practice, by road.