Number of people on social benefits at lowest point since 2013

At the end of March, 407,000 people in the Netherlands received social benefits - 23,000 less than a year before and the lowest number since September 2013, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. 

Compared to the last quarter of 2021, the number of active welfare benefits decreased by about a thousand in the first quarter of this year. This was the fourth consecutive quarter that the number of welfare benefits was lower than the year before.

The strongest decrease happened among young people up to the age of 27, where the number of those receiving welfare benefits decreased between 6 and 15 percent in the past four quarters. At the end of March, less than 35,000 young people received social benefits.

The number of active welfare benefits also decreased in the other age groups, but less strongly. Among 27- to 45-year-olds, welfare benefits decreased by 8 percent compared to the first quarter of last year. Among people between 45 and the state pension age, welfare benefits decreased by around 2 percent.