Well-being ‘later’: summary
| Theme | Indicator | Position in the European Union | Position in EU ranking | Trend (2018-2025) | Most recent (average) mutation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic capital | Physical capital stock | 2024: 7th out of 12 | Middle | No change | Decrease well-being (2023-2024) |
| Economic capital | Knowledge capital stock | 2024: 5th out of 13 | Middle | No change | No change (2023-2024) |
| Economic capital | Average household debt | 2024: 24th out of 25 | Low | Decrease well-being | Decrease well-being (2023-2024) |
| Economic capital | Median wealth of households | Insufficient data (quality) | No data | Increase well-being | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Renewable electricity capacity | 2024: 6th out of 26 | High | Increase well-being | No change (2024-2025) |
| Natural capital | Managed natural assets (terrestrial) within NNN | Insufficient data (quality) | No data | Increase well-being | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Green-blue space, excluding conventional farming | Insufficient data (quality) | No data | Decrease well-being | Decrease well-being (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Phosphorus surplus | 2023: 4th out of 18 | High | No change | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Nitrogen surplus | 2023: 18th out of 18 | Low | No change | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Fauna on land | Insufficient data (quality) | No data | Decrease well-being | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Fauna in freshwater and marshes | Insufficient data (quality) | No data | Increase well-being | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Surface water with sufficient chemical quality | Insufficient data (quality) | No data | No change | No change (2024-2025) |
| Natural capital | Ground water abstraction | 2023: 5th out of 16 | Middle | Increase well-being | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Urban exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) | 2024: 10th out of 27 | Middle | Increase well-being | No change (2023-2024) |
| Natural capital | Cumulative CO2 emissions | 2023: 13th out of 16 | Low | No change | No change (2024-2025) |
| Human capital | Hours worked | 2025: 16th out of 26 | Middle | Increase well-being | Decrease well-being (2024-2025) |
| Human capital | Level of education achieved: HBO, university | 2024: 7th out of 27 | High | Increase well-being | Increase well-being (2024-2025) |
| Human capital | Healthy life expectancy of women | 2023: 23rd out of 26 | Low | No change | No change (2024-2025) |
| Human capital | Healthy life expectancy of men | 2023: 17th out of 26 | Middle | No change | No change (2024-2025) |
| Social capital | Trust in other people | 2023: 2nd out of 19 | High | No change | Decrease well-being (2024-2025) |
| Social capital | Feelings of discrimination | 2023: 18th out of 19 | Low | No change | No change (2020-2023) |
| Social capital | Trust in institutions | 2023: 3rd out of 19 | High | No change | Decrease well-being (2024-2025) |
Well-being ‘later’ describes the resources that future generations will need in order to achieve the same level of well-being as that of the current generation. There are economic, natural, human and social resources, also known as ‘capital’. Over the long term, the stocks of these various forms of capital must be maintained at the same level in order to achieve sustainability.
Colour codes and notes to the dashboards in the Monitor of Well-being
Well-being appears to be becoming more sustainable, but the level is not high. With the exception of three indicators, economic, human, natural and social capital are either constant or trending upwards. Most developments in the last year have been negative. Compared with other countries in the EU, a majority of the resources available for later generations are at average to low levels. This indicates that, despite favourable trends, well-being ‘later’ is under pressure.Economic capital
Investment to maintain economic capital remains more or less the same as a percentage of GDP. Investments in new capital goods, knowledge and technological innovations are required in order to maintain the earning capacity of the Dutch economy. Investment in tangible fixed assets is stagnating, and investment in ICT is falling. Investment in civil engineering, which is required for the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure, is at the same level in the medium term. Private R&D spending as a percentage of GDP is increasing, while public R&D spending remains stable.
The trends for stocks of physical and intellectual capital per hour worked are both stable. Total stocks of physical and intellectual capital are steadily increasing (adjusted for inflation), but the number of hours worked is rising faster. The Netherlands is one of the few countries where the stock of intellectual capital per hour worked is no longer rising. In 2024, the Netherlands was fifth in the EU ranking, which includes 13 other member states, but it is gradually losing its lead.
Adjusted for inflation, median household wealth has been declining since 2022, even though the trend remains upwards. Household debt is relatively high compared to other EU countries (24th out of 25 countries in 2024) and continues to rise. In 2024, only Luxembourg recorded higher average household debt. Households also have savings, however, and these continue to trend upwards (not adjusted for inflation), increasing by 7.0 percent in 2025.
Natural capital
In 2023, the Netherlands had by far the highest nitrogen surplus of the 18 countries for which figures are available. The nitrogen surplus in the Netherlands was more than double that in Italy, which ranked second-to-last behind the Netherlands . Almost 70 percent of terrestrial nature was still affected by excess nitrogen. The nitrogen surplus has been more or less stable since 2008, hovering at around 160 kilograms per hectare of cultivated land.
The amount of green-blue space per inhabitant is gradually decreasing, and the quality of surface water is low. In 2025, only 0.5 percent of the area of fresh surface water met the chemical quality standard and 3 percent was of good biological quality. Biodiversity on land is declining, while biodiversity in freshwater and marshlands is increasing.
In recent years, efforts to improve sustainability appear to have stagnated. Investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency (as a share of GDP) is at its lowest level since measurements began in 2018. The environmental sector’s economic importance has stopped growing. In 2025, greenhouse gas emissions increased for the first time in a long time, bringing an end to a period of falling emissions against a backdrop of economic growth. Although emissions increased in 2025, this was outpaced by economic growth, resulting in a continued decline in greenhouse gas intensity. In 2024, the Netherlands’ gross national energy consumption per capita was higher than in most other EU countries.
In some ways, the pressure on natural capital is decreasing. The use of electric cars is growing rapidly, as is the proportion of renewable energy in total energy consumption. Installed capacity from water, wind and solar is also increasing. Air quality is improving, and the extraction of groundwater and fresh surface water is decreasing.
Human capital
The educational level of the population is rising, while the share of people with no basic educational qualification is falling. Nevertheless, around a quarter of people in the Netherlands still have no basic educational qualification. In 2024, this share was high compared to other EU countries, but so was the proportion of higher education graduates. The percentage of adults attending training or courses (‘lifelong learning’) was also relatively high. The proportion of people whose highest level of educational attainment is secondary education (MBO 2-4, HAVO or VWO) has been declining for several years, falling to 36.1 percent in 2025. Of the EU-27 countries, the Netherlands also had the highest proportion of residents with at least a basic level of digital skills in 2025.
In 2025, the healthy life expectancy for men was more than two years higher than for women. In the European figures for life expectancy without health problems, the Netherlands was in the middle of the EU ranking for men (17th out of 26) but nearly at the bottom for women (23rd out of 26). In 2025, nearly 77 percent of the Dutch population described their health as ‘(very) good’.
Indicators of employment opportunities show a favourable picture: long-term unemployment is low and declining, unused labour potential is decreasing and net labour participation is rising. Although the number of hours worked by the average person per year is also trending upwards, it did fall by 1.4 percent in 2025 compared to 2024.
Social capital
Social cohesion in the Netherlands deteriorated in 2025, mainly due to a decline in trust. Trust between citizens is necessary for a sustainable and functioning society, contributing to the well-being of both current and future generations. Trust in other people has stopped trending upwards and actually declined in 2025. Even so, compared to other EU countries, trust in other people remained high in 2023 (2nd out of 19 member states, behind Finland). Social cohesion in residential neighbourhoods declined between 2023 and 2025. Besides trust in others, trust in institutions also declined in 2025. Even so, international figures on good governance show that the quality of Dutch public institutions remains high compared with other EU countries.
Social contact and participation in society through volunteer work and informal assistance decreased in 2025. The proportion of people (aged 15 and over) doing volunteer work at least once a week declined to 47 percent. The proportion of people providing unpaid (informal) assistance to others fell to 34.1 percent in 2025; until 2024, this figure had been trending upwards.