More Dutch kids grow up in poverty, but fewer high school dropouts and young criminals

An increasing number of Dutch children grow up in poverty, according to Defense for Children's report Kinderen in tel 2016. But at the same time, the organization did note a decline in school dropouts and juvenile delinquency, NOS reports.

A total of 400 thousand kids in the Netherlands need extra attention, according to the report. The vast majority of these are growing up in poverty - about 225,700 kids in 2015. Growing up in a poor family is an important predictor for other problems kids may face, according to Defense for Children. Municipalities with more kids growing up in poverty often aso have a higher percentage of single-parent homes and more youth unemployment.

Defense for Children conducted this study at district level, based on postcode. This enabled the organization to compare 4,074 neighborhoods to each other. The four poorest districts are all in Leeuwarden, but Leeuwarden as a municipality is 8th on the list of fewest families living in poverty. Rotterdam as municipality scored the worst.

According to Aloys van Rest, Director of Defense for Children, the gap between good and bad neighborhoods can be quite massive within municipalities. "In Leeuwarden it is especially striking, but we see it across the board. We find it worrisome that the gap is widening."