SDG 16.1 Security and peace

The first part of SDG concerns the aim of ensuring a secure society where everyone has access to the justice system. It is about reducing all forms of violence, especially against children, and reducing corruption, organised crime and the illegal weapons trade.

• The rule of law is relatively strong in the Netherlands and trust in the police is high.
• An ever larger percentage of criminal suspects are minors, and this percentage is high compared with other EU countries.
• Ever more people feel unsafe in their neighbourhood.

Dashboard and indicators

Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being

A perceived lack of safety, and the associated feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty, can have a major impact on people’s lives. How safe people feel therefore has an effect, both objectively and subjectively, on well-being ‘here and now’. It is the task of the armed forces, police and judiciary to maintain and enhance safety, both by preventing crime and through the legal system. Public trust in these institutions can increase people’s sense of safety.

Resources and opportunities relate to the means used to guarantee the functioning of the judicial system and national security. The percentage of GDP spent on national defence is increasing. In 2024, defence spending represented only 1.6 percent of GDP, well below the 2 percent target set by NATO. From 2023 to 2024, defence spending increased by 0.3 percent of GDP. The operational strength of the police per 100 inhabitants is trending downwards. However, in the most recent year, the number of operational police officers per 100 thousand inhabitants did increase by 0.7 percent.

Use relates to those who come into contact with the justice system as suspects or offenders, or who seek its protection or support. In 2023, for every 100 thousand inhabitants there were 65 people in prisons, penitentiaries and disciplinary institutions. This was the second lowest level in the EU. Only Finland has fewer detainees. A relatively high percentage of suspects are minors, however. In 2023, the Netherlands ranked 21st of 25 EU countries on this indicator. In 2025, minors represented 11.2 percent of all suspects and, unlike in previous years, this percentage is trending upwards.

Outcomes relate to the crimes committed and the victims of those crimes. Some crimes go unrecorded, since not every victim files a police report. Countries also vary in how they record certain offences. This is why victim surveys, such as the Safety Monitor, measure the number of people who say they have been a victim of crime. This gives an indication of the extent to which people feel that they have been victims of crime, even if they did not report it.

In 2025, a total of 45.2 crimes were recorded per 1,000 inhabitants. Between 2010 and 2018, the number of recorded crimes fell from 72.4 to 45.8 offences per thousand inhabitants. Since then, the number of recorded crimes has been more or less stable. In 2025, 20 percent of the population aged 15 and over reported having been victims of traditional forms of crime, such as violence, burglary, theft and vandalism in the last twelve months. Between 2021 and 2023, there was an increase. Before that, the percentage had been declining for ten years. In addition, 16.8 percent said they had been victims of online crime in the last twelve months. This is a slight increase compared to 2023 but the figure is similar to 2021. However, the number of reports of child abuse is rising. In 2025, Veilig Thuis received 378 reports per 100 thousand inhabitants.

The score on the rule of law has steadily declined over the past decade. The rule of law is one of six aspects of good governance that are measured by the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators. However, the Dutch legal system is still relatively effective. With a score of 1.71, on a scale ranging from -2.5 (weak) to 2.5 (good), the Netherlands ranked fifth in the EU-27 in 2024, behind Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg and Sweden.

In collaboration with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), CBS and the municipal health services, Rutgers and Soa Aids Nederland conduct periodic surveys on the sexual health of young people (aged 13 to 24). The 2023 survey showed that 20 percent of young women and 4 percent of young men had been forced to engage in sexual acts against their will at least once.

Subjective assessment refers to people’s trust in the judicial system and the police, as well as their sense of safety. The percentage of the population aged 15 and older who often feel unsafe in their own neighbourhood is increasing. From 2019, the percentage increased from 1.8 percent to 2.5 percent in 2025. Overall, more people sometimes feel unsafe. In 2025, this was true for 37.2 percent of the population, up from 33 percent in 2019. Young women are more than twice as likely to feel unsafe as young men.

Trust in the police is high. In 2025, 78.4 percent of the population aged 15 and over had very high or fairly high trust in the police. Compared to 18 other EU countries, only Finland has a higher level of trust in the police. Trust in the police is no longer increasing but is stable. Trust in the military fell from 67.6 to 66.0 percent of the population aged 15 or older from 2024 to 2025.