Households; size, composition, position in the household, 1 January
Explanation of symbols
Dataset is not available.
This table contains information about the progress of the households in the Netherlands by size and composition and persons by household position, on 1 January.
Data available from: 1995
Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are final.
With the information available for the reporting years 1995, 1996 and 1997 it is not easy to make an unambiguous assignment of persons in institutional households in three distinct categories of institutions. For this reason the numbers are set as unknown.
Changes as of 7 August 2023:
The figures of 1 January 2023 have been added.
When will new figures be published?
The final figures of 1 January 2024 will be added in the 4th quarter of 2024.
Description topics
- Persons by household position
- Household:
Private or institutional household.
Private household:
One or more persons sharing the same living space, who provide for their own everyday needs in a private, non-commercial way.
Institutional household:
Household consisting of one or more persons living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally.
Included are institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the elderly, mental health institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons, drug rehabilitation centres, shelters for the homeless, boarding schools, monasteries, prisons, military barracks, and asylum reception centres, in which persons (will) live for a longer period of time. From 2014, people in institutional households are presented in three groups, namely: homes for the elderly and nursing homes, other health care institution and other type of institution.
Household position:
Position someone has in a household in relation to the reference person of that household.
Reference person
Member of the household on whom the household positions of the other household members are based, and whose characteristics may also be characteristic for the household.
The reference person in a household is chosen as follows:
- the reference person in a heterosexual relationship is always the man;
- in homosexual relationships, the reference person is the older of the two;
- in a single-parent household the reference person is the parent;
- in 'other households' the reference person is the oldest man, or if there are no men, the oldest woman.- Men
- Children living at home
- Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Single
- Single person:
Person who lives alone in a single-person household.
Among singles are also people who live with others at the same address but who have their own household.
Singles can have a relationship with and be married to a person with whom they do not live together.
- Persons living together
- Person who forms a private household together with someone else as a couple, whether or not married to each other or registered as partners, and whether or not with children.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnerships where introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total persons living together
- Not married without children
- Not married persons living together in a private household without children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Not married:
Two persons living together without being married or having a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Married without children
- Persons who form a married couple with another person in a private household without children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Married:
Two persons who are married to each other or who have entered into a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Not married with children
- Not married persons living together in a private household with one or more children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Not married:
Two persons living together without being married or having a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Married with children
- Persons who form a married couple with another person in a private household with one or more children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Married:
Two persons who are married to each other or who have entered into a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Single parent
- Person in a private household who has a parent-child relationship with one or more children living at home and who does not have a partner in the same household.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Persons in institutional households
- The population in institutional households consists of persons whose accommodation and daily needs are provided professionally, e.g. persons in nursing homes, mental health institutions or institutions for disabled persons.
- Women
- Children living at home
- Children living at home in a private household.
Child:
Someone with a child-parent relationship with one or two of the adults in the household. Includes biological step and adopted children.
There are no age limits in this category.
- Single
- Single person:
Person who lives alone in a single-person household.
Among singles are also people who live with others at the same address but who have their own household.
Singles can have a relationship with and be married to a person with whom they do not live together.
- Persons living together
- Person who forms a private household together with someone else as a couple, whether or not married to each other or registered as partners, and whether or not with children.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnerships where introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total persons living together
- Not married without children
- Not married persons living together in a private household without children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Not married:
Two persons living together without being married or having a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Married without children
- Persons who form a married couple with another person in a private household without children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Married:
Two persons who are married to each other or who have entered into a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Not married with children
- Not married persons living together in a private household with one or more children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Not married:
Two persons living together without being married or having a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Married with children
- Persons who form a married couple with another person in a private household with one or more children living at home.
Within a household only one couple is designated as such.
Married:
Two persons who are married to each other or who have entered into a registered partnership.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Single parent
- Person in a private household who has a parent-child relationship with one or more children living at home and who does not have a partner in the same household.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Persons in institutional household
- The population in institutional households consists of persons whose accommodation and daily needs are provided professionally, e.g. persons in nursing homes, mental health institutions or institutions for disabled persons.
- Private households
- One or more persons sharing the same living space, who provide for their own everyday needs in a private, non-commercial way.
- By household size
- Number of persons in a private household.
- Total private households
- One-person households
- Private household consisting of one person.
- Multi-person households
- A private household consisting of two or more persons.
- Total multi-person households
- 2 persons
- 3 persons
- 4 persons
- 5 persons or more
- Average household size
- Average number of persons in a private household.
- By household composition
- The classification of private households based on the mutual relationships between household members.
- Total private households
- One-person households
- Private household consisting of one person.
- Multi-person households
- A private multi-person household without/with children living at home
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.- Total multi-person households
- Multi-person households without children
- A private multi-person household without children living at home
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Multi-person households with children
- A private multi-person household with children living at home
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Unmarried couples
- Unmarried couples in a private, multi-person household with or without children living at home.
Unmarried couples:
Two persons living together without being married or having a registered partnership.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnerships were introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.- Total unmarried couples
- 0 children
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household without children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 1 child
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household with one child living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 2 children
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household with two children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 3 children or more
- Unmarried couples in a multi-person household with three or more children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Married couples
- Married couples in a private, multi-person household with or without children living at home.
Married couple:
Two persons who are married to each other or who have entered into a registered partnership.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two persons of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnerships were introduced in the Netherlands on 1 January 1998.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.- Total married couples
- 0 children
- Married couples in a multi-person household without children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 1 child
- Married couples in a multi-person household with one child living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 2 children
- Married couples in a multi-person household with two children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 3 children or more
- Married couples in a multi-person household with three or more children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Single parent household
- Private household consisting of one parent and at least one child who lives at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.- Total single parent households
- 1 child
- Private household consisting of one parent and one child who lives at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 2 children
- Private household consisting of one parent and two children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- 3 children or more
- Private household consisting of one parent and three or more children living at home.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Other household
- Private household that only consists of other household members.
Other household member:
Person who is part of a private household other than as a partner, parent in a single-parent household or child living at home.
For example, a boarder who lives with a family, someone who forms a household together with a brother or sister, or a foster child.
Child living at home:
Person regardless of age or marital status who has a child-parent relationship with one or two parents belonging to the household.
Adopted children and stepchildren in the household are regarded as children living at home, but foster children are not.
- Persons in institutional households
- Institutional household:
One or more persons living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally.
Included are institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the elderly, mental health institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons, drug rehabilitation centres, shelters for the homeless, boarding schools, monasteries, prisons, military barracks, and asylum reception centres, in which persons (will) live for a longer period of time. From 2014, people in institutional households are presented in three groups, namely:
homes for the elderly and nursing homes, other health care institution and other type of institution.- By sex and marital status
- Marital status:
Marital status resulting from a legal marriage ceremony. Judicial separations are included in the category married.
Marriage:
Legal, formally sanctioned living arrangement between two people.
Since 1 April 2001, it is legally possible for people in the Netherlands to marry a person of the same sex.
Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two people of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnership was introduced in The Netherlands on 1 January 1998.- Total men and women
- Total of men and women living in institutional households.
- Men
- Total men in institutional households
- Never married
- From 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
1998 until 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'widowed after partnership' and 'divorces after partnership' were not included in this period in these statistics. For these statistics this means that the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: marital status indicating that someone was never married.
Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.
- Married
- From 1998: legally married and partnership.
Until 1998: legally married.
Legally married:
Marital status resulting from having married legally. Including judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Partnership:
Marital status resulting from entering into a registered partnership.
- Widowed
- From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
Until 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, widowed after a partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.
Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.
Widowed after a partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.
- Divorced
- From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
Until 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, divorced after partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.
Divorced after a legal marriage
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce.
Excluding judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Divorced after a partnership
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.
- Women
- Total women in institutional households
- Never married
- From 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
1998 until 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'widowed after partnership' and 'divorces after partnership' were not included in this period in these statistics. For these statistics this means that the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: marital status indicating that someone was never married.
Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.
- Married
- From 1998: legally married and partnership.
Until 1998: legally married.
Legally married:
Marital status resulting from having married legally. Including judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Partnership:
Marital status resulting from entering into a registered partnership.
- Widowed
- From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
Until 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, widowed after a partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.
Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.
Widowed after a partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.
- Divorced
- From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
Until 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, divorced after partnership is not included in this period in these statistics.
Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.
Divorced after a legal marriage
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce.
Excluding judicial separations which are included in the category married.
Divorced after a partnership
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.
- By type of institution
- Institutional household:
One or more persons living in one accommodation whose housing and daily needs are provided professionally.
Included are institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the elderly, mental health institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons, drug rehabilitation centres, shelters for the homeless, boarding schools, monasteries, prisons, military barracks, and asylum reception centres, in which persons (will) live for a longer period of time. From 2014, people in institutional households are presented in three groups, namely:
homes for the elderly and nursing homes, other health care institution and other type of institution.- Total persons living in institutions
- Total of persons living in institutional households.
- Homes for the elderly and nursing homes
- Homes for permanent residence of old persons, including care such as meals, cleaning, monitoring alarm systems and personal support.
- Other health care institution
- Other health care institution:
- Mental health and psychiatric institutions, forensic psychiatric institutions, drug rehabilitation centres.
- Institutions for mentally, physically or sensorily disabled persons.
- Shelters for the homeless.
- Other type of institution
- Other type of institution:
- Educational boarding schools and training schools for police and armed forces
- Monasteries
- Prisons
- Military barracks
- As of January 1st 2014: residents of asylum centres (but only if they are registered in the population register of a Dutch municipality).