Poverty and living standards in Rotterdam, Netherlands: official figures
Homes in the municipality of Rotterdam had an average WOZ value of €374,000 in 2026, 9th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up 69% from €221,000 in 2020.
How many people are on benefits in Rotterdam?
People below state pension age receiving a benefit (unemployment, social assistance or disability) numbered 15.2 per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Rotterdam in 2026, above the national figure of 12.4; that is 5th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people receive bijstand in Rotterdam?
Social assistance (bijstand), the minimum-income benefit, went to 7.2 people under pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Rotterdam in 2026, the highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and above the national figure of 3.5, down from 8.4 in 2020.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people get unemployment benefit in Rotterdam?
Unemployment insurance (WW) was paid to 1.81 people per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in Rotterdam in 2026, against 1.60 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people are on disability benefit in Rotterdam?
Rotterdam had 5.8 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 Rotterdam?
People living alone made up 49.4% of households in Rotterdam in 2025, above the national figure of 40.1%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many new homes are built in Rotterdam?
Rotterdam added 6.9 new-build homes for every 1,000 existing homes in 2025, 15th 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 Rotterdam?
Police in Rotterdam recorded 53,875 crimes in 2025 (provisional figures), or 80.1 per 1,000 residents, above the national figure of 45.2; that is 2nd highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyIs crime going up in Rotterdam?
Recorded crime in Rotterdam was down 11% in 2025 compared with 2015, when police registered 60,505 offences.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much violent crime is there in Rotterdam?
Violent and sexual offences, including assault, threats and sexual crimes, ran at 9.7 per 1,000 residents in Rotterdam in 2025, the highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 4.6).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow common is burglary in Rotterdam?
Theft and burglary without violence accounted for 34.0 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents of Rotterdam in 2025.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Rotterdam?
44% of the 615,719 households in Rotterdam were people living alone in 2024, and 6.0% were lone parents with children under 18.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Rotterdam afford their bills?
In the EU's 2023 quality of life survey, 11% of residents of Rotterdam said they had difficulty paying their bills at the end of the month most of the time.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 30% of residents of Rotterdam agreed that it is easy to find good housing at a reasonable price. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 73% of residents of Rotterdam felt safe walking alone at night in the city. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Rotterdam compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) (2026)
Rotterdam ranks 23 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Deventer | €401,000 |
| 21 | Arnhem | €391,000 |
| 22 | Tilburg | €378,000 |
| 23 | Rotterdam | €374,000 |
| 24 | Venlo | €349,000 |
| 25 | Groningen | €346,000 |
| 26 | Maastricht | €346,000 |
Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Rotterdam ranks 5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sittard-Geleen | 19.1 |
| 3 | Enschede | 16.8 |
| 4 | Arnhem | 16.1 |
| 5 | Rotterdam | 15.2 |
| 6 | Leeuwarden | 14.9 |
| 7 | Deventer | 14.4 |
| 8 | Venlo | 14.3 |
Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Rotterdam ranks 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotterdam | 7.2 |
| 2 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 7.1 |
| 3 | Leeuwarden | 6.4 |
| 4 | Arnhem | 6.1 |
| 5 | Enschede | 5.7 |
| 6 | s-Gravenhage | 5.6 |
| 7 | Nijmegen | 5.5 |
Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) (2025)
Rotterdam ranks 1 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotterdam | 43% |
| 2 | Amsterdam | 39% |
| 3 | Nijmegen | 38% |
| 4 | Eindhoven | 36% |
| 5 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 36% |
| 6 | Enschede | 36% |
| 7 | Zaanstad | 36% |
New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes (2025)
Rotterdam ranks 17 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Nissewaard | 8.5 |
| 15 | Zaanstad | 8.4 |
| 16 | Groningen | 7.7 |
| 17 | Rotterdam | 6.9 |
| 18 | Leiden | 6.8 |
| 19 | Tilburg | 6.7 |
| 20 | Apeldoorn | 6.0 |
Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Rotterdam ranks 2 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | 87.4 |
| 2 | Rotterdam | 80.1 |
| 3 | Eindhoven | 77.6 |
| 4 | Utrecht | 74.4 |
| 5 | s-Gravenhage | 70.1 |
| 6 | Arnhem | 67.6 |
| 7 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 66.9 |
Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Rotterdam ranks 1 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotterdam | 9.7 |
| 2 | Amsterdam | 8.6 |
| 3 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 8.3 |
| 4 | s-Gravenhage | 7.7 |
| 5 | Eindhoven | 6.9 |
| 6 | Arnhem | 6.7 |
| 7 | Tilburg | 6.5 |
Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) (2025)
Rotterdam ranks 12 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Alphen aan den | 24.3% |
| 10 | Leiden | 24.1% |
| 11 | Venlo | 23.9% |
| 12 | Rotterdam | 23.7% |
| 13 | Breda | 23.1% |
| 14 | Ede | 23.1% |
| 15 | Almere | 22.2% |
More on Rotterdam: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government and politics · 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…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
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