Dutch homeowners much wealthier than tenants

On average, homeowners have a much greater wealth than tenants, and that difference increased in recent years. Researchers from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) came to this conclusion after disregarding homeowners' houses and associated mortgage debt as a form of capital in their calculations.

Households with their own home had an average net worth of 36,300 euros last year. That is fourteen times higher than the assets of the average tenant, which was 2,600 euros.

The wealth of tenants barely increased since 2013, while that of people with an owner-occupied home increased by 10,500 euros. Unlike tenants, homeowners saw their financial assets rise. This concerns bank and savings balances, shares, and bonds. Homeowners also more often had another source of capital, such as their own business.

Young people up to 25 and older people over 75 years old relatively often live in a rented house. On average, the elderly have a greater wealth than young people, logically, because wealth is built up over the years. There are significant differences between tenants and homeowners among people of the same age. Younger homeowners also often have more assets than older tenants.