At the end of September 2017, approximately 260,000 women and 200,000 men below the state pension age were receiving income support benefit. For years, more women than men have been receiving income support benefit, but the difference has become smaller as the number of male recipients has risen faster than the number of female recipients. The number of women on income support benefit has increased by 25 percent since 2007, compared to a rise of 60 percent among men.
At the end of September 2017, the Netherlands was home to over 459,000 recipients of income support benefit below the state pension age, roughly on a par with 2016. In other words, the increase in the number of people receiving this benefit has come to a virtual standstill after a period of continuous growth since 2008. Among people with a non-Western migration background, however, the number of benefit recipients did increase. This group accounts for about half of the income support benefit population. There has been a gradual decline in benefit recipients among people with a Dutch background or a Western migration background.
In Q3 2017, 27,000 people received income support benefit for the first time, while 34,000 left the system. In previous years the number of people joining or leaving the income support benefit system was more or less the same. The decline in the third quarter of 2017 is most marked among the male population. The influx of men into income support fell by around 5,000 compared to the previous year, while the number leaving the system stayed more or less the same.
In 2017, the proportion of people receiving income support benefit for less than a year accounted for under 20 percent of the income support benefit population. That is the lowest figure since 2008. The number of people receiving income support benefit for five years or more has been rising slowly since 2014. One reason is the step-by-step increase in the state pension age, as a result of which people lose their entitlement to income support benefit in favour of state old age pension at a later stage.
The number of people receiving unemployment benefit increased from 149,000 in September 2008 – the start of the economic crisis – to 425,000 in early 2014. From that point on, the number of recipients began to fall again. Among unemployed persons aged between 55 and state pension age, the decline began two years later. It is generally more difficult for the over-55s to re-enter the workplace after a period of unemployment. At the end of June 2017, 318,000 people were receiving unemployment benefit.
In January 2018, a total of 3.4 million people were receiving state old age pension: nearly 1.6 million men and over 1.8 million women. Ten years earlier less than 2.7 million people were on state old age pension; nearly 1.2 million men and nearly 1.5 million women. Today 19.7 percent of the total population is receiving state old age pension.
Nine out of ten of these pensioners live in the Netherlands. Over 338,000 Dutch pensioners live abroad, almost half of them in Belgium, Spain or Germany.
From 1 January 2013, the state pension age has been increasing by annual increments, from 65 to 67 and 3 months in 2023. In both 2016 and 2017, the state pension age was increased by three months, following one-month increments in each of the preceding years since 2013. The effect of this process can be seen in the drop in the number of state pension recipients at the beginning of each reporting year. In spite of this, the number of state pension recipients continues to rise, slightly more markedly among men than among women.
In the second quarter of 2017, 761,000 people were receiving incapacity benefit, over 4,000 fewer than in June 2013. In 2013, male recipients of incapacity benefit outnumbered female recipients, but they were overtaken by the women in Q3 2015. This is largely due to the considerable increase in the employment rate of women in recent years, which has also led to an increase in the number of incapacitated women. This is especially true of nursing and the healthcare sector, in which female staff vastly outnumber male staff and where the number of incapacity benefit recipients is high.
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At the end of September 2017, approximately 260,000 women and 200,000 men below the state pension age were receiving income support benefit. For years, more women than men have been receiving income support benefit, but the difference has become smaller as the number of male recipients has risen faster than the number of female recipients. The number of women on income support benefit has increased by 25 percent since 2007, compared to a rise of 60 percent among men.
Link naar deze cijfers
At the end of September 2017, the Netherlands was home to over 459,000 recipients of income support benefit below the state pension age, roughly on a par with 2016. In other words, the increase in the number of people receiving this benefit has come to a virtual standstill after a period of continuous growth since 2008. Among people with a non-Western migration background, however, the number of benefit recipients did increase. This group accounts for about half of the income support benefit population. There has been a gradual decline in benefit recipients among people with a Dutch background or a Western migration background.
Link naar deze cijfers
In Q3 2017, 27,000 people received income support benefit for the first time, while 34,000 left the system. In previous years the number of people joining or leaving the income support benefit system was more or less the same. The decline in the third quarter of 2017 is most marked among the male population. The influx of men into income support fell by around 5,000 compared to the previous year, while the number leaving the system stayed more or less the same.
Link naar deze cijfers
In 2017, the proportion of people receiving income support benefit for less than a year accounted for under 20 percent of the income support benefit population. That is the lowest figure since 2008. The number of people receiving income support benefit for five years or more has been rising slowly since 2014. One reason is the step-by-step increase in the state pension age, as a result of which people lose their entitlement to income support benefit in favour of state old age pension at a later stage.
Link naar deze cijfers
The number of people receiving unemployment benefit increased from 149,000 in September 2008 – the start of the economic crisis – to 425,000 in early 2014. From that point on, the number of recipients began to fall again. Among unemployed persons aged between 55 and state pension age, the decline began two years later. It is generally more difficult for the over-55s to re-enter the workplace after a period of unemployment. At the end of June 2017, 318,000 people were receiving unemployment benefit.
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In January 2018, a total of 3.4 million people were receiving state old age pension: nearly 1.6 million men and over 1.8 million women. Ten years earlier less than 2.7 million people were on state old age pension; nearly 1.2 million men and nearly 1.5 million women. Today 19.7 percent of the total population is receiving state old age pension.
Nine out of ten of these pensioners live in the Netherlands. Over 338,000 Dutch pensioners live abroad, almost half of them in Belgium, Spain or Germany.
Link naar deze cijfers
From 1 January 2013, the state pension age has been increasing by annual increments, from 65 to 67 and 3 months in 2023. In both 2016 and 2017, the state pension age was increased by three months, following one-month increments in each of the preceding years since 2013. The effect of this process can be seen in the drop in the number of state pension recipients at the beginning of each reporting year. In spite of this, the number of state pension recipients continues to rise, slightly more markedly among men than among women.
Link naar deze cijfers
In the second quarter of 2017, 761,000 people were receiving incapacity benefit, over 4,000 fewer than in June 2013. In 2013, male recipients of incapacity benefit outnumbered female recipients, but they were overtaken by the women in Q3 2015. This is largely due to the considerable increase in the employment rate of women in recent years, which has also led to an increase in the number of incapacitated women. This is especially true of nursing and the healthcare sector, in which female staff vastly outnumber male staff and where the number of incapacity benefit recipients is high.