The percentage of young people (aged 25 and under) entering the housing market in the Netherlands was down by 12% in 2024, compared to the previous year, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
A total of 518,000 people rented or bought a home for the first time in 2024, down from 560,000 the previous year. Among those under 25, however, the number entering the housing market fell from 125,000 to 96,000.
At the same time, the number of people aged 25 to 34 still living with their parents increased by 5.6% in 2024, while among those aged 17 to 24, the number remained roughly the same.
New arrivals
New entrants to the housing market were not limited to young people leaving home, the data showed, with a significant share consisting of people arriving in the Netherlands to work or study, many of whom secured housing immediately.
Migrants represented the largest group of new entrants, although their numbers declined by 22% compared with the peak seen in 2022.
‘Ukrainian refugees are also new entrants to the Dutch housing market,’ CBS commented. ‘For instance, there was a peak in the number of people migrating to the Netherlands in 2022, including many Ukrainians.’
Housing types
The data also notes changes in the type of housing being sought by market entrants – in 2024, 43% moved into private-sector rental housing, down from 49% in 2023. This decline reflects a reduction in the availability of such properties, as more are being sold to owner-occupiers.
Meanwhile, the share entering owner-occupied housing remained stable at around 24%, with a slight increase in absolute numbers to nearly 157,000 purchases. Social housing accounted for a growing share, rising from 27% to 29%. Read more here.
