According to recent figures from information centre Vektis, half of the money reserved for healthcare in the Netherlands under the Healthcare Insurance Act (Zvw) and Long-term Care Act (Wlz) is used to care for the elderly. Last year, 28 billion euros was spent on care for those aged over 65.

Huge amounts spent on Dutch healthcare

In 2017, 62,2 billion euros, from the Zvw and Wlz, was spent on healthcare in the Netherlands. Of this amount, 28 billion euros was spent on looking after the elderly, thus around half of the total amount spent.

Of the 28 billion spent on healthcare for the elderly, the most money was spent on long-term care, at 11 billion euros. This was followed by hospital care, coming in at 8,4 billion euros and district nursing care, totalling 2,8 billion euros.

Around one out of five people in the Netherlands is over 65 and, according to Vektis, they account for an average of 8.650 euros of care per person. The country also has almost 2.000 people aged above 100.

According to the researchers, the majority of elderly people take five or more medicines and those over 85 require on average nine hours per week of district nursing care. For those aged 65 to 74, this is slightly less, at an average of seven hours per week. Of those aged 74 to 85, more than a fifth suffer from diabetes and 14 percent have asthma.

Elderly people in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, there are almost 3,3 million people over the age of 65. Vektis expects this number to rise in the coming years. In 2030, they predict that the ratio will have risen from one in five to one in four.

The municipality with the highest concentration of residents above 65 years of age, namely 32 percent, is Vaals in Limburg. Vaals is followed by the municipalities of Laren and Bergen in North-Holland. Utrecht, Urk and Almere have the lowest percentage of elderly residents, that is to say, less than 11 percent.