Almost a third of people in the Netherlands are single

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The number of single people in the Netherlands has grown, with almost a third of the population living without a partner. At the same time, there are also more people who are in relationships but live apart.

Almost a third of Dutch population is single

Based on 2025 figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 30 percent of people over the age of 18 in the Netherlands do not have a steady partner. This is an increase from the 27 percent who were single in 2013, showing a slight increase.

Those who do have a partner but do not live together, also known as a living-apart-together (LAT) relationship, make up 10 percent of the population - up from 8 percent 12 years earlier. 60 percent of residents are in a relationship and live with their partner.

According to the CBS report, most single people are under the age of 25 or over 75 years old. 62 percent of under-25s, and 42 percent of over-75s are single. Between the ages of 25 and 35, the proportion of couples living together shoots up from 8 percent to more than 50 percent.

From 35 to 75 years old, the proportion of cohabitating partners increases further to 70 percent. After 75, this figure drops down again to just over 50 percent, mainly due to the death of a partner.

Couples happier than single people

Overall, people who are in relationships are happier, including those living apart, than singles. 87 percent of people in LAT relationships are happy, while 92 percent of couples who live together are satisfied with their relationship.

Happiness is still quite high among singles, though, and is slightly higher among women. On average, 82 percent of single women are happy compared to 76 percent of single men. Women are also more likely to be single (32 percent) than men (28 percent).

Furthermore, divorced women are more likely to stay single (68 percent), while men often enter a new relationship after divorce, with only 55 percent staying single. However, both genders are more cautious after divorce, choosing to live apart from their new partners more often: 21 percent for men and 14 percent for women.

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