Distribution of well-being: safety

Crime and the feeling of safety or lack of safety have a direct impact on citizens’ quality of life. Both the actual risk of becoming a victim and the feeling of safety or lack of safety are important factors. The differences between population groups are measured in terms of crime victim rates. Victims of crime can suffer physical harm but also financial damage or emotional harm, which can have a negative impact on their quality of life.

• Particularly people aged 15 to 34 are more likely to be victims of traditional crime.
• People aged 75 and over, those with primary education or a VMBO qualification, and people of Dutch origin are less likely to be victims.
• Among 15 to 24-year-olds, 35 to 44-year-olds and people with primary school education or a VMBO qualification, the change between 2019 and 2025 was less favourable than the average.

Victims of traditional crime

In 2025, 20 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 and over said they had been victims of ‘traditional’ forms of crime during the preceding twelve months. This includes violent crimes, crimes against property, and vandalism. Property crimes were the most common, accounting for 11 percent of crimes in this age group; vandalism and violence followed with 7 percent each. These figures do not include cybercrime. Overall, traditional crime declined by 0.8 percentage points compared to 2019.

Men are slightly more likely to be victims of traditional crime than women. As people get older, they are less likely to become victims of traditional crime. The percentage of people in the age groups up to 45 who had been victims of crime was above average, whereas it was below average for the age groups 55 and over. The highest rate was reported in the 15-24 age group, while the lowest rate was reported among those aged 75 and over. Compared to 2019, the percentage of younger people (15 to 24) who were victims of traditional crime increased by 1.6 percentage points. A relatively unfavourable trend was also seen among 35 to 44-year-olds, with an increase of 1.2 percentage points. By contrast, the proportion of victims among 45 to 64-year-olds decreased, as well as among those aged 75 and over.

The traditional crime victim rate was higher than average among those with a higher education degree and lower among those who had only completed primary education or secondary education (VMBO, HAVO or VWO), or secondary vocational education (MBO). Compared to 2019, victim rates among people who had only completed primary education or VMBO increased by 1.2 percentage points, which was higher than the average. Among people with a HAVO, VWO or MBO diploma and those with a higher education degree, trends were more favourable than the average, with drops of 2.2 percentage points for both groups.

A lower than average percentage of people of Dutch origin reported having been victims of traditional crime. The trend was also somewhat more favourable than the average for this group, with the share of traditional crime victims falling by 1.5 percentage points since 2019. First- and second-generation migrants are more likely than average to become victims of traditional crime. It should also be noted that the differences in victim rates between groups of different origins are somewhat smaller after standardisation, which results in a somewhat less unfavourable picture for second-generation migrants from outside Europe. This group includes a relatively large number of young people, who are more likely to become victims of traditional crime.