Dutch Economy Improves But Poverty Rises

According to the CBS Business Cycle Tracer, the economic situation in the Netherlands has hardly changed in January. Statistics Netherlands, or CBS, reports that all indicators in the Tracer published mid-January are performing above the level of their long-term trend.

The mood among Dutch consumers has improved marginally in December. Opinions of Dutch consumers on the economic climate and the willingness to buy have improved.  Producer confidence hardly changed in December and reached the second highest level of 2017. Manufacturers were slightly less positive about their future output, DutchNews reported.

The number of people living in long-term poverty increased by 7% in 2016, according to CBS. The latest figures show not everybody is sharing in the economic boom which has seen GDP grow by around 2.3% for the last three years.

Around 224,000 households accounting for 3.3% of the total population are in long-term poverty, defined as having a monthly income of €1,030 ($1,260) for a single person and €1,940 for a couple with two children for at least four years.

In total 8.2% of households were living below the poverty line in 2016, including 292,000 children. Of these 117,000 children were in households in long-term poverty.

Work was the main source of income for a quarter of poor households, while in 60% of households with children in long-term poverty, one or both parents was dependent on state welfare support.

The city of Groningen had the highest concentration of long-term poor households (7.3%), but overall poverty was higher in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, where the proportion was 15.3%. Rozendaal in Gelderland had the fewest poor households, accounting for just 2.9% of the total.