Poverty and living standards in Leiden, Netherlands: official figures
Homes in Leiden had an average WOZ value of €455,000 in 2026, 9th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up 56% from €292,000 in 2020.
How many people are on benefits in Leiden?
People below state pension age receiving a benefit (unemployment, social assistance or disability) numbered 9.7 per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Leiden in 2026, below the national figure of 12.4; that is 3rd lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people receive bijstand in Leiden?
Social assistance (bijstand), the minimum-income benefit, went to 3.4 people under pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Leiden in 2026, 7th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and below the national figure of 3.5, down from 3.8 in 2020.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people get unemployment benefit in Leiden?
Unemployment insurance (WW) was paid to 1.33 people per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Leiden in 2026, against 1.60 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people are on disability benefit in Leiden?
The municipality of Leiden had 4.8 disability benefit recipients per 100 working-age residents in 2026, below the national figure of 7.1.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Leiden?
People living alone made up 56.8% of households in Leiden in 2025, above the national figure of 40.1%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many new homes are built in Leiden?
Leiden added 6.8 new-build homes for every 1,000 existing homes in 2025, 14th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 8.4).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the crime rate in Leiden?
Police in the municipality of Leiden recorded 7,485 crimes in 2025 (provisional figures), or 57.3 per 1,000 residents, above the national figure of 45.2; that is 16th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyIs crime going up in Leiden?
Recorded crime in the municipality of Leiden was down 8% in 2025 compared with 2015, when police registered 8,155 offences.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much violent crime is there in Leiden?
Violent and sexual offences, including assault, threats and sexual crimes, ran at 5.2 per 1,000 residents in the municipality of Leiden in 2025, 12th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 4.6).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow common is burglary in Leiden?
Theft and burglary without violence accounted for 28.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents of the municipality of Leiden in 2025.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Leiden?
46% of the 136,448 households in Leiden were people living alone in 2024, and 3.4% were lone parents with children under 18.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Leiden compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) (2026)
Leiden ranks 9 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Ede | €486,000 |
| 7 | s-Hertogenbosch | €464,000 |
| 8 | Breda | €462,000 |
| 9 | Leiden | €455,000 |
| 10 | Alphen aan den | €448,000 |
| 11 | Apeldoorn | €435,000 |
| 12 | Eindhoven | €434,000 |
Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Leiden ranks 29 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Haarlem | 11.4 |
| 26 | Breda | 11.3 |
| 27 | Utrecht | 10.9 |
| 28 | Ede | 10.2 |
| 29 | Leiden | 9.7 |
| 30 | Alphen aan den | 9.5 |
| 31 | Haarlemmermeer | 9.0 |
Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Leiden ranks 25 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Almere | 3.5 |
| 23 | Apeldoorn | 3.5 |
| 24 | Zaanstad | 3.5 |
| 25 | Leiden | 3.4 |
| 26 | Amersfoort | 3.2 |
| 27 | s-Hertogenbosch | 3.2 |
| 28 | Haarlem | 3.2 |
Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) (2025)
Leiden ranks 15 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | s-Hertogenbosch | 33% |
| 13 | Zwolle | 33% |
| 14 | Utrecht | 31% |
| 15 | Leiden | 31% |
| 16 | Groningen | 31% |
| 17 | Tilburg | 31% |
| 18 | s-Gravenhage | 30% |
New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes (2025)
Leiden ranks 18 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Zaanstad | 8.4 |
| 16 | Groningen | 7.7 |
| 17 | Rotterdam | 6.9 |
| 18 | Leiden | 6.8 |
| 19 | Tilburg | 6.7 |
| 20 | Apeldoorn | 6.0 |
| 21 | Venlo | 5.7 |
Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Leiden ranks 16 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Venlo | 60.3 |
| 14 | Haarlemmermeer | 59.5 |
| 15 | Tilburg | 58.6 |
| 16 | Leiden | 57.3 |
| 17 | s-Hertogenbosch | 57.0 |
| 18 | Zwolle | 56.6 |
| 19 | Haarlem | 55.9 |
Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Leiden ranks 20 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Sittard-Geleen | 5.5 |
| 18 | Utrecht | 5.3 |
| 19 | Alkmaar | 5.3 |
| 20 | Leiden | 5.2 |
| 21 | Zaanstad | 5.2 |
| 22 | Haarlem | 4.9 |
| 23 | Enschede | 4.9 |
Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) (2025)
Leiden ranks 10 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | s-Gravenhage | 25.4% |
| 8 | Haarlemmermeer | 25.1% |
| 9 | Alphen aan den | 24.3% |
| 10 | Leiden | 24.1% |
| 11 | Venlo | 23.9% |
| 12 | Rotterdam | 23.7% |
| 13 | Breda | 23.1% |
More on Leiden: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clivcon: Urban Audit: living conditions (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bc58ab68d418…)
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Geregistreerde misdrijven en verdachten; soort misdrijf, regio (table 83648NED): police-recorded crime by province and municipality, 2015-2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 301a92d5d72f…)
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