Necva Tastan Sevinc
16 December 2025•Update: 16 December 2025
ISTANBUL
The Netherlands has, for the first time, recorded a higher number of people aged 65 and above, compared to those under 20, according to data released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on Tuesday.
At the beginning of this year, the country counted around 3.76 million people aged 65 and over, compared to 3.72 million people under 20, CBS said, noting that the gap is expected to widen significantly in the coming decades.
Projections show that by 2070, the Netherlands will have about 5.4 million elderly, while the number of young people is expected to reach 4.1 million.
The number of people aged 80 and above is forecast to rise sharply from more than 900,000 this year to around 2.1 million in 2070. Over the same period, the population aged 99 and above is expected to increase from roughly 4,400 to more than 38,000.
CBS attributed the aging trend mainly to rising life expectancy and declining birth rates. The Netherlands last recorded more than 200,000 births in 2002, while around 166,000 children were born last year.
Experts have raised concerns over the economic and social impact of the aging population, particularly the risk of labor shortages as the number of retirees grows faster than the working-age population.
Staffing shortages in the healthcare sector are expected to worsen in the coming years, while the demand for care increases.
CBS estimates that the Netherlands’ total population could reach 20.6 million by 2070, while stressing that the projection remains uncertain. Future population growth will depend on factors such as migration trends, life expectancy, and fertility rates.
