Latest jump brings number of people on welfare in the Netherlands to 411,000
The number of people receiving welfare benefits in the Netherlands rose again in the first quarter of 2026, extending a multi-year upward trend, according to preliminary figures from the CBS.
At the end of March 2026, 411,000 people were receiving welfare benefits. That was 1,000 more than three months earlier. Compared with the same period in 2025, the total number of recipients was up by 3,100 at the start of this year.
CBS said the increase continues a steady pattern: welfare rolls have grown in each of the past 10 quarters. The last recorded decline came in 2023, when between the second and third quarters, the number of benefits fell by 1,000.
Young people under 27 accounted for a significant share of the latest rise. In the first three months of 2026, 42,500 young people received welfare benefits, an increase of 3.4 percent compared with the previous quarter.
