Over half of young adults in the Netherlands don't want children, survey finds

An RTL Nieuwspanel study has found that over half of young adults in the Netherlands either do not want children or are still undecided. Financial pressures and a lack of affordable housing are some of the reasons people are opting not to become parents.

53 percent of young adults question parenthood

The study found that 53 percent of 18-to 35-year-olds living in the Netherlands have “no desire” to have children or remain unsure about whether or not they will. Respondents gave several reasons for choosing not to have kids, ranging from “not want[ing] to give up their freedom and lifestyle” to “societal tensions or climate change”.

A lack of housing also plays a major role, with many struggling to secure somewhere to rent and young people often unable to afford to buy. According to recent analysis, only 20 percent of Dutch homes are affordable for average-income households.

Two recently published studies, which were the first of their kind, also found a strong link between increased mobile phone and social media use and declining birth rates.

Economists divided on what fewer births mean for the country

The country has seen the national birth rate drop in recent years, from an average of 1,8 children per woman in 2010 to 1,4 in 2024. Coupled with a declining desire to start a family, experts warn there could be “far-reaching consequences”. 

Economist Jona van Loenen shared that if the decline continues at this pace, the population of the Netherlands could be “halved within 75 years”. The country will begin to struggle with a worker shortage as the number of retirees outpaces the number of workers. This will especially be felt in healthcare, construction and engineering, creating “double pressure on the economy.” 

Economist Jan-Pieter Peijs, on the other hand, believes that fewer births would "truly [be] a blessing." He argued that a smaller population would ease pressure on housing, infrastructure and the environment.

Van Loenen went on to emphasise that it is the pace at which the population is contracting that is the problem as “society cannot keep up.” While migration has been the sole contributor to Dutch population growth for the past three years, fewer people are now choosing to immigrate to the Netherlands, and population growth is levelling off.