Resilience ‘here and now’
A major shock would jeopardise the well-being of households and vulnerable groups ‘here and now’. Would people still be able to maintain their livelihood? How large are the vulnerable groups that would be hit first and hardest by a shock? Vulnerable groups include people with a level of educational attainment no higher than primary education, VMBO or MBO-1, the unemployed, the self-employed and people with health problems.
- Households would be able to maintain their livelihood in the event of a shock.
- The number of vulnerable people who have a serious long-term handicap due to health problems is no longer declining.
Livelihood of households
in EU
in 2017
in EU
in 2024
in EU
in 2025
Extent of vulnerable groups
in EU
in 2024
in EU
in 2025
in EU
in 2025
| Theme | Indicator | Value | Trend | Position in EU | Position in EU ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livelihood of households | Feeling in control of own life | 47.9% feel in control (scores 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-5) in 2025 | 3rd out of 27 in 2017 | High ranking | |
| Livelihood of households | Median wealth of households | € 135,500 per household (2024 prices), 1 January 2024 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Livelihood of households | Savings in banks in the Netherlands | € 61,851 on average per household in 2025 | increasing (increase well-being) | ||
| Livelihood of households | Net labour participation | 73.2% of population aged 15-74 in 2025 | increasing (increase well-being) | 1st out of 27 in 2024 | High ranking |
| Livelihood of households | Perceived health | 76.9% of the population describe their own health as (very) good in 2025 | 4th out of 13 in 2025 | High ranking | |
| Extent of vulnerable groups | Level of education achieved: primary education, VMBO, MBO-1 | 25.1% of 15-74 year-olds have succesfully completed primary education, VMBO or MBO-1 in 2025 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 22nd out of 27 in 2024 | Low ranking |
| Extent of vulnerable groups | Unemployment | 3.9% of the labour force in 2025 | decreasing (increase well-being) | 6th out of 27 in 2025 | High ranking |
| Extent of vulnerable groups | Self-employed people without staff in poverty | 4.4% of self-employed live in a household in poverty in 2024 | |||
| Extent of vulnerable groups | Severe long-standing limitations due to health problems | 4.5% experience severe limitations doing usual activities in 2025 | 4th out of 13 in 2025 | High ranking |
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
Shocks can have major consequences for well-being ‘here and now’. Households should be able to absorb the consequences of shocks, such as those caused by the coronavirus pandemic or the sudden rise in energy prices in 2022. The ‘livelihood of households’ theme assesses whether the average household would have the resources needed to handle these kinds of events, and the ‘size of vulnerable groups’ theme measures what proportion of the population belongs to certain vulnerable groups. These include people who have only completed primary education, prevocational secondary education (VMBO) or secondary vocational education (MBO 1), the unemployed, those in low-income self-employment and people with long-term disabilities due to health problems. Vulnerable groups tend to have fewer resources, which can affect their resilience to shocks.
On average, households would be well able to support themselves in the event of a shock. Median household wealth, average household savings with Dutch banks and net labour participation are trending upwards. Between 2024 and 2025, household savings increased by 7 percent (not adjusted for inflation). Net labour participation and the proportion of people with good perceived health are high compared to other EU countries. The trend for perceived health is stable. Despite these positive developments, fewer than half of the population (47.9 percent) felt they had a high level of control over their lives in 2025.
Compared to previous editions of the Monitor, fewer vulnerable groups are getting smaller. Two of the four vulnerable groups measured are still declining in size; previously, this was the case for three of these groups. Unemployment is low and continues to trend downwards, and the percentage of 15 to 74-year-olds without a basic educational qualification (primary education, VMBO or MBO 1) is also falling. However, the relative number of people with no basic educational qualification remains large compared to other EU countries (22nd in the EU-27 in 2024). Although the percentage of people with severe long-term disabilities due to health problems is low compared to other EU countries, it is no longer declining. In absolute terms, there are nearly 400 thousand unemployed people, over 680 thousand people with severe long-term disabilities, around 56 thousand self-employed people in poor households, and 3.4 million people with no basic educational qualification.