New figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show that loneliness in the Netherlands isn’t going away — and for one group in particular, it’s getting worse. According to CBS, 10 percent of people aged 15 and older reported feeling seriously lonely in 2025. That share has held steady at around 10 percent since 2021, up from […]
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A new report from one of the Netherlands’ most influential policy advisers has a blunt message for the government: the country is sitting on a pool of untapped talent, and it’s costing everyone. The Social and Economic Council (SER) — the body that brings together employers, trade unions and independent experts to advise the Dutch […]
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The Netherlands has spent years trying to solve one crisis — a housing shortage that leaves hundreds of thousands of people searching for a home — only to run headfirst into another. This time, the obstacle isn’t permits, nitrogen rules, or construction costs. It’s electricity. According to Netbeheer Nederland, the umbrella body for the country’s […]
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The 2026/27 Eredivisie season kicked off on 7 August 2026, with PSV Eindhoven entering as three-time defending champions after a dominant 2025/26 campaign in which they finished top with 84 points, 19 clear of second-placed Feyenoord. A quarter of the way into the new season, the early picture suggests PSV’s dominance isn’t fading — but […]
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The Netherlands is, by most measures, a low-crime country — but knowing how the system works before you need it makes a real difference. Here’s a practical starting point. Emergency numbers For any situation requiring immediate police, fire, or ambulance response, the number across the Netherlands is 112, the same as the EU-wide emergency number. For […]
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Dutch weather changes quickly, and when it turns — heavy wind, sudden rain, or winter ice — it tends to disrupt trains and roads fast too. Here’s where residents and visitors actually check conditions, rather than guessing. Weather warnings: KNMI’s color-code system The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is the official source for Dutch weather […]
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If you’re an expat working in the Netherlands under the 30% ruling — the tax facility that lets employers reimburse part of your salary tax-free to offset the cost of relocating — a real change is arriving, and the timing matters depending on when your ruling started. What the 30% ruling actually does The 30% […]
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Two numbers have shaped the Dutch economic conversation in 2026: inflation and house prices. Both have kept moving in the same direction — up — though for different reasons, and both matter directly to household budgets across the Netherlands. Inflation: still above target, and rising through the summer According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), consumer prices […]
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The Netherlands has a new government, and it looks different from what came before it. On 23 February 2026, King Willem-Alexander swore in a coalition led by Rob Jetten of the centrist D66 party, making him the youngest prime minister in Dutch history. His government brings together D66, the centre-right VVD, and the Christian Democrats […]
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