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Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 81.4 years
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 19.7%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 24.8%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 4.8%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 10.3%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 58%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as poor or very poor, by income, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 11%
– Highest quintile: 2%
– Total: 8%
Limitations in daily activities in adults aged 65 and over, 2021
– Some Limitations: 42%
– Severe Limitations: 8%
Share of adults aged 65 and over receiving long-term care, 2021: 11.7%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

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Population, Midyear 2022: 17,564,014
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 521.64
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 82.45
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 17,943,803
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 20.31%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 23.86%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 27.16%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

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“Important demographic trends are ageing and decreasing growth of the population and urbanization. Since the 1980s the proportion of children has steadily decreased, while the proportion of seniors increased (see Table 1.1). In the same period the annual population growth fell strongly to 0.3% in 2014, which is half the average growth among high-income OECD countries.”

Source: Kroneman M, Boerma W, van den Berg M, Groenewegen P, de Jong J, van Ginneken E (2016). The Netherlands: health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2016; 18(2):1–239.

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated July 10, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.