Foto omschrijving: Abstraction of infographic on the number of museums in the Netherlands.

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Introduction

The Netherlands in numbers answers questions about the Netherlands in 36 infographics. This third edition once again presents fun facts and figures about our country, about today as well as about the past. Nationwide, and sometimes by municipality. This web publication forms part of the booklet that shares the same name and that looks more closely at the questions in the form of text and images.

Facts about the Netherlands

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has a myriad of data on the Netherlands. This publication displays a tiny selection of data in a short and sweet way. Infographics provide answers to a total of 36 different questions, complemented by short texts, images or charts. Those seeking more detail will find tables and related articles under the links.

More than 120 years

CBS was established in 1899 and can look back on a long tradition of publishing annual figures and yearbooks. The oldest serial publication was the Statistical Yearbook of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, dated 1898. The first Statistical Pocket Yearbook was issued in 1924, a publication primarily designed to providing policymakers with relevant statistics. Its successor, the Statistical Yearbook, served that same purpose. Following the advent of the internet, a book on numbers was no longer necessary and the publication, now titled ‘Trends in the Netherlands’, took on a more popular character. In 2020, the yearbook changed into ‘The Netherlands in numbers’, which answers a small selection of questions in the paper edition entirely in infographics. The web publication offers more depth to the booklet.

Infographics from the old days

CBS currently devotes a lot of attention to infographics to present complex information in an accessible way. However, this is not exactly a new development: the first CBS infographic dates back to the year 1902. An illustration to statistics on crime to be precise. From 1940, Gerd Arntz created pictorial illustrations for the Statistical Pocket Yearbook. Some of these beautiful illustrations have been included in this 2022 edition.

More information

The CBS website cbs.nl features almost daily news items with up-to-date figures. It also has dossiers and dashboards on Dutch economy and society, and of course more information on CBS as an organisation. All figures can be found at CBS StatLine. For more infographics, animations or videos, follow CBS (@statistiekcbs and @statisticscbs) on social media.

Have fun reading this third edition of The Netherlands in numbers!

The questions

Colophon

This web publication was developed by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) in cooperation with Textcetera The Hague.
If you have a question or comment about this publication, please contact us.

Disclaimer and copyright

Cookies

On this website, CBS uses functional cookies on this website to allow proper functioning of the site. These cookies do not contain personal user data and have minimal or no consequences for your privacy. In addition, CBS uses analytical cookies to track visitor statistics, including the number of page views, which topics users are searching, and how visitors reach our website. The purpose is to gain insight into the functioning of the website in order to improve your user experience. We minimise traceability of visitors to our website as much as possible by anonymising the final octet (group of eight bits) of each IP address. These data are not shared with other parties. CBS does not use tracking cookies. Tracking cookies are cookies that track visitors during their browsing of other websites.

The functional and analytical cookies have minimal or no consequences for your privacy. In accordance with current regulations, these cookies may be placed without prior consent.

More information (in Dutch only): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/telecommunicatie/vraag-en-antwoord/mag-een-website-ongevraagd-cookies-plaatsen

Explanation of symbols

Empty cell figure not applicable
. figure is unknown, insufficiently reliable or confidential
* provisional figure
** revised provisional figure
(between two numbers) inclusive
0 (0.0) less than half of unit concerned
2016–2017 2016 to 2017 inclusive
2016/2017 average for the years 2016 up to and including 2017
2016/’17 crop year, financial year, school year etc., beginning in 2016 and ending in 2017
2004/’05–2016/’17 crop year etc. 2004/’05 up to and including 2016/’17

Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond to the sum of the separate figures.

About CBS

CBS responds to developments in Dutch society by providing statistical information as facts that matter, and communicates on these facts with the outside world. In doing so, CBS offers insights into current developments in society and helps answer policy questions. Research at CBS is focused on broad trends in society and how these are interrelated.

CBS has offices in The Hague, Heerlen and Bonaire with altogether approximately 2,000 staff. A society-oriented working attitude is essential to CBS. CBS provides figures which are relevant to society. Every year, CBS publishes around 600 statistical studies. Virtually every day, CBS data and figures are communicated to the outside world via news releases, video messages and through social media. This results in some 50,000 articles per year in daily newspapers and on news sites.

For more information on CBS’s tasks, organisation and publications, go to cbs.nl/en-gb.

Contact

Should you have any questions or need more information, please contact us.

Contributors

Concept & image editor

Irene van Kuik

Infographics

Hendrik Zuidhoek

Janneke Hendriks

Richard Jollie

Editors

Gert Jan Wijma

Karolien van Wijk

Michel van Kooten

Paul de Winden

Ronald van der Bie

Sidney Vergouw

Translators

Taalcentrum-VU

Gabriëlle de Vet

Frans Dinnissen

Final editor

Elma Wobma

We thank all CBS colleagues who have contributed to this edition of The Netherlands in numbers.