Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands
Netherlands: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 15.47 million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands, 1983–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands is 15.47 million people, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands peaked at 15.47 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.65 million people, in 1983.
Netherlands ranks 16th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 5.65 million people | — |
| 1987 | 6.83 million people | +21.0% |
| 1990 | 8.90 million people | +30.2% |
| 1993 | 8.53 million people | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 11.02 million people | +29.2% |
| 2004 | 11.33 million people | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 11.63 million people | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 12.19 million people | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 12.82 million people | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 12.92 million people | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 12.93 million people | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 12.92 million people | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 12.99 million people | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 12.94 million people | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 12.65 million people | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 12.77 million people | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 13.63 million people | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 13.93 million people | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 14.03 million people | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 14.18 million people | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 14.43 million people | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 15.20 million people | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 15.47 million people | +1.8% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 15.47 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 3.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 15.47 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.67 million people, 9.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +30.2% | 6.83 million people | 8.90 million people |
| 1999 | +29.2% | 8.53 million people | 11.02 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.24 million people | 5.65 million people | 6.83 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 9.48 million people | 8.53 million people | 11.02 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 12.30 million people | 11.33 million people | 12.93 million people | 6 |
| 2010s | 13.45 million people | 12.65 million people | 14.43 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.33 million people | 15.20 million people | 15.47 million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More poverty & inequality data for Netherlands
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,806 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -15.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 38.53 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 38.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Netherlands was 15.47 million people in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 15.47 million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.65 million people in 1983.
- How does Netherlands rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Netherlands ranks 16th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.