Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands

Netherlands: Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life was 96.5% in 2016. ▬ Flat

Latest (2016)
96.5%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
3rd
of 34 countries
All-time high
96.9%
in 2008
All-time low
86.2%
in 1975
Years of data
42
1973–2016

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands, 1973–2016

0204060801001973199420161973: 93 %1975: 86.2 %1976: 90.5 %1977: 91.7 %1978: 93.2 %1979: 94.7 %1980: 94.3 %1981: 92.3 %1982: 93.2 %1983: 92.4 %1984: 92.5 %1985: 89.8 %1986: 92.1 %1987: 91.3 %1988: 90.9 %1989: 94 %1990: 93.1 %1991: 94.3 %1992: 93.2 %1993: 93.9 %1994: 92.5 %1996: 91.5 %1997: 92.5 %1998: 94.6 %1999: 94.8 %2000: 92.6 %2001: 94.1 %2002: 92.8 %2003: 90.1 %2004: 92.2 %2005: 95.2 %2006: 95 %2007: 95.9 %2008: 96.9 %2009: 96 %2010: 95 %2011: 96.3 %2012: 94.2 %2013: 94.7 %2014: 95.4 %2015: 95.7 %2016: 96.5 %

Source: Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Netherlands recorded 96.5% for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in 2016.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands peaked at 96.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 86.2%, in 1975.

Netherlands ranks 3rd of 34 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands, 1973 to 2016.
Year % Change
1973 93.0%
1975 86.2% -7.3%
1976 90.5% +5.1%
1977 91.7% +1.3%
1978 93.2% +1.6%
1979 94.7% +1.7%
1980 94.3% -0.5%
1981 92.3% -2.1%
1982 93.2% +0.9%
1983 92.4% -0.9%
1984 92.5% +0.1%
1985 89.8% -2.9%
1986 92.1% +2.5%
1987 91.3% -0.9%
1988 90.9% -0.4%
1989 94.0% +3.4%
1990 93.1% -0.9%
1991 94.3% +1.3%
1992 93.2% -1.2%
1993 93.9% +0.7%
1994 92.5% -1.4%
1996 91.5% -1.1%
1997 92.5% +1.1%
1998 94.6% +2.3%
1999 94.8% +0.2%
2000 92.6% -2.3%
2001 94.1% +1.5%
2002 92.8% -1.4%
2003 90.1% -2.9%
2004 92.2% +2.3%
2005 95.2% +3.3%
2006 95.0% -0.2%
2007 95.9% +0.9%
2008 96.9% +1.1%
2009 96.0% -1.0%
2010 95.0% -1.0%
2011 96.3% +1.4%
2012 94.2% -2.2%
2013 94.7% +0.5%
2014 95.4% +0.8%
2015 95.7% +0.3%
2016 96.5% +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 91.5% 86.2% 94.7% 6
1980s 92.3% 89.8% 94.3% 10
1990s 93.4% 91.5% 94.8% 9
2000s 94.1% 90.1% 96.9% 10
2010s 95.4% 94.2% 96.5% 7

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 1 Iceland 97.6% compare
  2. 2 Denmark 97.3% compare
  3. 4 Sweden 96.2% compare
  4. 5 Luxembourg 95.3% compare
  5. 6 Finland 94.7% compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands?
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands was 96.5% in 2016, according to Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 96.9% in 2008.
What is the lowest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 86.2% in 1975.
How does Netherlands rank for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life?
Netherlands ranks 3rd out of 34 countries with data for 2016.
Is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Netherlands data come from?
The figures come from Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Netherlands. Statizoid, drawing on Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-they-are-happy-eurobarometer/netherlands/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life
Unit
%
Source
Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 751 data points, 1973–2016
Last refreshed

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