Higher risk of debt after bankruptcy or contact with the criminal justice system

In 2025, people in approximately 115,000 households experienced serious financial problems. That is 1.5 percent of all households. In 2022, this figure was higher, at 1.7 percent.

For example, when people get divorced, they are more likely to experience financial problems. This is according to a joint study by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, ICTU (Information and Communications Technology Implementation Organization), and Statistics Netherlands. Of the people who owned a bankrupt company in 2019, 8.6 percent had significant debts in 2022.

Among people who had to appear before a criminal court, 7.2 percent developed these problems. Among people who were fined by a court, this was the case for 5.5 percent. Crime victims are also more likely to have debts.

Among people who were victims of violence or a sexual crime, 3.4 percent incurred debts. For victims of theft, the figure was 2.3 percent. There were fewer households with significant debts between 2024 and 2025.

In 2024, 139,000 households had financial problems; in 2025, that number had fallen to just 115,000. Men incur significant debts more often than women. In 2022, there were approximately 160 men with this problem for every 100 women.

Among victims of violence or a sexual crime, the difference was smaller: 120 men for every 100 women. Whether people incur debts often depends on how much money a household earns. Among low-income households, 2.0 percent experienced financial problems.

Among wealthier households, the figure was 0.7 percent. The difference becomes greater when people have a child or get divorced. After three years, 5.4 percent of the poorest families with a first child had incurred debts, compared with 0.8 percent of the wealthiest families.

After a divorce, 5.2 percent of the poorest families incurred debts, compared with 1.7 percent of the wealthiest families.