Fewer Dutch 30-year-olds own homes, have families or steady jobs, CBS reports

Thirty-year-olds in the Netherlands are far less likely to be “settled” than they were a decade ago, with sharp declines in homeownership, cohabitation, and parenthood, especially among those without steady jobs. New figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) paint a picture that CBS describes as one of growing economic insecurity and delayed adulthood.

In 2021, just 51 percent of 30-year-olds owned a home, down sharply from 62 percent in 2011. The share who had become parents also declined, from 39 to 35 percent. Fewer were living with a partner, and slightly fewer lived independently at all.

The trend is most pronounced among those without permanent employment. Thirty-year-olds with stable, full-time jobs were still the most likely to live independently, cohabit, raise children, or own property—but even in this group, progress has stalled. Homeownership dropped from 72 percent in 2011 to 63 percent in 2021, and the share who had a child fell from just over 40 percent to 36 percent.

The contrast is even sharper among those with flexible employment or no job at all. Among 30-year-olds in temporary or freelance positions, homeownership fell from 56 to 43 percent over the decade. For those out of work or still in school, it dropped from 31 to just 20 percent. Fewer were living with a partner—37 percent in 2021 compared to 46 percent in 2011—and fewer were parents, with the rate falling from 43 to 35 percent.

CBS and NIDI also found education plays a crucial role in shaping whether young adults are able to settle—especially when raising a family. Among 30-year-olds with both a partner and a child, those with a university degree and a permanent job were most likely to own a home. Yet even in this relatively secure group, ownership declined—from nearly 93 percent in 2011 to just under 90 percent in 2021.

The steepest drop in homeownership was seen among highly educated 30-year-olds without work. A decade ago, three-quarters of this group owned their homes. In 2021, only 61 percent did. Once more likely to own than workers in flexible jobs, they are now less likely.

Among 30-year-olds without higher education, the divide is even more pronounced. Those without a job or degree had the lowest homeownership rate of all: just 45 percent in 2021, even when raising children with a partner.

Single 30-year-olds have been the hardest hit. Among those without a job or degree, the rate of homeownership nearly halved—from 16 percent in 2011 to just 9 percent in 2021. Even those with university degrees and permanent jobs saw declines. Among single, highly educated workers with full-time contracts, ownership fell from 57 to 44 percent. For their peers in flexible roles, it dropped from 36 to 23 percent.