The Netherlands has more millionaires than ever

© ANP / Peter Hilz
On 1 January 2024, 5.5 percent of households in the Netherlands had assets worth 1 million euros or more. That was a total of 452 thousand households, 17 thousand more than the previous year. A relatively high number of millionaires live in the municipalities of Bloemendaal and Laren: 1 in 3 households in those areas have assets worth one million or more. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of new figures on wealth and assets. The figures take account of both the value of people’s homes and any mortgage debt they may have.

Average millionaire household has 1.6 million in assets

The median millionaire household had assets of 1.6 million in 2024. That means half of households in that category had assets worth less than that, and half had assets worth more. The median household in the non-millionaire category had assets worth 110 thousand euros. Two-thirds of millionaire households had assets of between 1 and 2 million euros. A quarter of them were worth between 2 million and 5 million euros. A smaller share, 3 percent, were worth 10 million euros or more.

Millionaires more likely than average to be self-employed

Nearly 40 percent of millionaire households get most of their income from a pension. The rest derive most of their income from work. Of those, 55 percent are self-employed. This share has fallen since 2014, when 71 percent of working millionaires were self-employed. Among non-millionaires who derive most of their income from work, 14 percent are self-employed.

Most wealth in significant business interests and assets

Of millionaires' assets, 40 percent consist of significant business interests (defined as ownership of at least 5 percent of a company’s shares) and business assets. Another quarter consists of the homes owned by millionaires. Among non-millionaire households, homeownership accounts for more than three-quarters of wealth, and significant business interests and assets 3 percent. Among millionaire households, the more the wealth they have, the more of that wealth is made up of significant business interests and assets. The share of homeownership decreases as wealth increases, by contrast.

Most millionaires live in the municipalities of Bloemendaal and Laren

The provinces of Noord-Holland and Utrecht have the most millionaires relative to their populations (7 percent of households). The two municipalities with the highest proportion of millionaires - Bloemendaal and Laren - are both in Noord-Holland. Around 1 in 3 households there have assets worth one million or more. Other municipalities with a high number of millionaires relative to their population are Blaricum (25 percent), Heemstede (24 percent) and Wassenaar (23 percent).

The fewest millionaire households are found in the provinces of Groningen, Flevoland and Limburg. There, less than 4 percent of households had assets of 1 million euros or more. The municipalities of Brunssum, Heerlen and Kerkrade in Limburg have the fewest millionaire households relative to their populations, in addition to Nissewaard in Zuid-Holland and Den Helder in Noord-Holland.

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