Average living space increases by 2 square metres in 10 years

On 1 January 2026, each person in the Netherlands had an average of 55 square metres of living space. Ten years earlier, that was 2 square metres less. Older people generally have more living space than younger people.

This is according to Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, the Dutch national statistics office). Between 2016 and 2026, people gained slightly more living space on average. The amount of living space you have can change when you move in with a partner or have children.

Living space per person increased in almost the entire Netherlands. Only in Flevoland (a province in the Netherlands) did the amount of space decrease slightly. People in North Drenthe gained the most: 5 square metres.

People in the Randstad (the densely populated urban region in the west of the Netherlands) live in more cramped conditions than those in other regions. Living conditions are most cramped in Greater Amsterdam and most spacious in Central Limburg. People aged 70 and over often have the most living space.

In 2026, they had 3 square metres more than in 2016. They have the most space in Southeast Friesland, Southeast Drenthe and South Limburg, at just over 92 square metres. People aged 70 and over in Greater Amsterdam and the Zaanstreek (the region around the Zaan River) have the least space, at approximately 70 square metres.

In North Friesland, people aged 70 and over gained the most living space—8.5 square metres more than ten years ago—while in East Groningen they actually gained less space. Young people aged between 15 and 20 start out with an average of 58 square metres of living space. As they grow older and move in with a partner or have children, they share the space and have less room per person.

From around the age of 40, people start living more spaciously again because their children leave home, they get divorced, or a partner dies. Older people who live alone have the most space, an average of 81 square metres. Between 2016 and 2026, living space increased particularly for people aged 70 and over.

Up to the age of 55, men often live more spaciously than women. After that age, women have more space instead. This difference is greatest among people aged 70 and over.

Women often live alone in later life because men die earlier. Single-person households have the most living space per person: an average of 87 square metres. Families with children have just over 40 square metres per person, while couples without children have 65 square metres per person.

Among people living alone, there is a major difference between young and old. People living in single-family homes had more space in 2026 than ten years earlier. Residents of flats or walk-up apartments gained less space.

In these homes, women aged 70 and over have more living space than men aged 70 and over. Among younger people, the opposite is true.