This statistic displays the number of murder and manslaughter victims in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2021. It shows that in 2021, 2,675 people became victim of murder or manslaughter in the Netherlands, a decrease of 10 compared to last year.

This table contains the number of persons died as a result of murder or manslaughter, where the crime scene is located in the Netherlands. The victims can be residents or non-residents of the Netherlands. The data can be split by location of the crime, method, age and sex. The criterion is the date of death, the date of the criminal act can be in the previous year. Since 2014 the figures cannot be split by both sex and age for the location and method variables, due to small numbers and the distribution this split could lead to disclosure of individual information. Since 2013 Statistics Netherlands is using Iris for automatic coding for causes of death. This improved the international comparison of the data. The change in coding did cause a considerable shift in the statistics. Since 2013 the (yearly) ICD-10 updates are applied. However for murder and manslaughter no changes in coding have taken place. The ICD-10 codes that belong to murder and manslaughter are X85-Y09. Data available from 1996 to 2018 Status of the figures: All figures are final. Changes as of July 29th 2020: This table has been stopped and has been replaced by the table 'Deaths; murder and manslaughter, crime scene in The Netherlands' (see paragraph 3). When will new figures be published? Not applicable anymore.

Between 2008 and 2022, each year roughly between 134,000 and 180,000 people died in the Netherlands. From 2014 onwards, the number of deaths increased annually, peaking in 2021 at roughly 171,000. That year, women were on average 80.7 years old when they died, men were four years younger.

 Neoplasms most common cause of death  

The most common causes of death in 2020 were neoplasms and diseases of the circulatory system, which made approximately 47,100 and 36,600 victims respectively. That year, two women died as a result of pregnancy complications and childbirth in the Netherlands. Fatal skin diseases were relatively rare as well, with 323 deaths.

Birth excess  

The Netherlands has a birth excess: each year the number of live births exceeds the number of deaths in the country. Although some 171,000 people died in 2021, the birth of nearly 179,400 babies meant the Netherlands still had a birth excess of over 8,500. In the last decade, the birth excess dropped considerably though, from nearly 50,000 people in 2008 to under 9,000 in 2021.

The Netherlands: Homicides per 100,000 people: The latest value from 2017 is 0.8 homicides per 100,000 people, an increase from 0.6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2016. In comparison, the world average is 7.4 homicides per 100,000 people, based on data from 97 countries. Historically, the average for the Netherlands from 1990 to 2017 is 1 homicides per 100,000 people. The minimum value, 0.6 homicides per 100,000 people, was reached in 2015 while the maximum of 1.4 homicides per 100,000 people was recorded in 1996.

Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data was reported at 0.600 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.700 Ratio for 2014. Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 1.100 Ratio from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2015, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.939 Ratio in 1995 and a record low of 0.600 Ratio in 2015. Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; Weighted average;

Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data was reported at 0.351 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.493 Ratio for 2015. Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data is updated yearly, averaging 0.597 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.893 Ratio in 2003 and a record low of 0.351 Ratio in 2016. Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides, female are estimates of unlawful female homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; ;

This table contains the number of persons died as a result of murder or manslaughter, where the crime scene is located in the Netherlands. The victims can be residents or non-residents of the Netherlands. The data can be split by location of the crime, method, age and sex. The criterion is the date of death, the date of the criminal act can be in the previous year. Since 2014 the figures cannot be split by both sex and age for the location and method variables, due to small numbers and the distribution this split could lead to disclosure of individual information. Since 2013 Statistics Netherlands is using Iris for automatic coding for causes of death. This improved the international comparison of the data. The change in coding did cause a considerable shift in the statistics. Since 2013 the (yearly) ICD-10 updates are applied. However for murder and manslaughter no changes in coding have taken place. The ICD-10 codes that belong to murder and manslaughter are X85-Y09.

Data available from 1996 to 2018

Status of the figures: All figures are final.

Changes as of July 29th 2020: This table has been stopped and has been replaced by the table 'Deaths; murder and manslaughter, crime scene in The Netherlands' (see paragraph 3).

When will new figures be published? Not applicable anymore.

Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 0.758 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.736 Ratio for 2015. Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 1.172 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.709 Ratio in 2004 and a record low of 0.736 Ratio in 2015. Netherlands NL: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides, male are estimates of unlawful male homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; ;

In 2021, there were 298 drug overdose deaths were recorded in the Netherlands. The number of casualties was lowest in 2010, while 2021 represented the highest annual figure. In the last two years, a new record in drug deaths was reached.

 Opiates, cocaine and other dangerous drugs 

Many drug deaths in the Netherlands in 2021 were caused by opiates. Of the total 298 casualties in 2021, 150 died because of opiate use. By comparison, there were 72 cocaine deaths that year. This is also the highest number of cocaine-related deaths in the country in the past decade.

Cocaine use on the rise

 According to the Trimbos survey on drug use, cocaine use has increased in the Netherlands. Whereas in 1997, 2.6 percent of the respondents stated to have used cocaine at least once in their lives, by 2021 this had grown to 6.5 percent. Of the survey participants, 0.8 percent reported to have used cocaine in the past month, a slight change in comparison to earlier years as well.

The death rate in the Netherlands saw no significant changes in 2023 in comparison to the previous year 2022 and remained at around 9.5 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. Still, 2023 marked the second consecutive decline of the death rate. The crude death rate refers to the number of deaths in a given year, expressed per 1,000 population. When studied in combination with the crude birth rate, the rate of natural population increase can be determined.Find more statistics on other topics about the Netherlands with key insights such as total life expectancy at birth, crude birth rate, and total fertility rate.

Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 10-14 Years data was reported at 73.000 Person in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 77.000 Person for 2018. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 10-14 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 126.000 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2019, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 181.000 Person in 1990 and a record low of 73.000 Person in 2019. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 10-14 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Number of deaths of adolescents ages 10-14 years; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Sum; Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

This table shows the number of people who died as a result of murder or manslaughter that took place in the Netherlands. The victims can be both residents and non-residents. The data can be broken down by foster location, mode of execution, age and gender. Criterion is the date of death, the date of foster may be in the previous year. The ICD-10 codes associated with murder and manslaughter are X85-Y09.

In the statistical year 2013, CBS switched to the use of international software for automatic coding of causes of death (Iris). This makes the figures more reproducible and internationally comparable. However, there are some significant shifts in the causes of death. However, external causes of death have been processed manually as before.

Data available from: 1996

Status of the figures: The figures until 2022 are final.

Changes as of 25 January 2024: The final figures for 2022 have been added.

When will there be new figures? Preliminary figures for 2023 are published in the third quarter of 2024.

The child mortality rate in the Netherlands, for children under the age of five, was 324 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that just under one third of all children born in 1860 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality reached its highest recorded level in the Netherlands in the late nineteenth century, as rapid industrialization led to increased urbanization, which in turn allowed diseases to spread much faster, although it did decrease from 1875 until today. The only times where the rate deviated were in the 1910s and 1940s, due to the Spanish Flu pandemic and the Second World War. By 2020, the child mortality rate of the Netherlands is expected to be just three deaths per thousand.

Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths data was reported at 225,623.000 Person in 2050. This records an increase from the previous number of 225,406.000 Person for 2049. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths data is updated yearly, averaging 165,960.500 Person from Jun 1995 (Median) to 2050, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 225,623.000 Person in 2050 and a record low of 133,097.000 Person in 2007. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 15-19 Years data was reported at 211.000 Person in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 208.000 Person for 2018. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 15-19 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 277.500 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2019, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 441.000 Person in 1990 and a record low of 201.000 Person in 2016. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 15-19 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Number of deaths of adolescents ages 15-19 years; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Sum; Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

As of August 9, 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands had resulted in 22,532 deaths. However, the distribution of deaths due to COVID-19 differed greatly by age. According to these figures, most of these deaths occurred in older patients. In the Netherlands, over 9.6 thousand deaths occurred in patients aged between 80 and 89 years.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

This table contains the number of deaths in the population of the Netherlands by underlying cause of death. The causes of death are shown according to the extensive list of 'three digit codes', by age and sex.

Since 2013 Statistics Netherlands is using Iris software for automatic coding for cause of death. This improved the international comparison of the data. The change in coding did cause a considerable shift in the statistic. Since 2013 the (yearly) ICD-10 updates are applied.

Data available from: 1996

Status of the figures: The figures up untill 2023 are final, the figures of 2024 are provisional.

Changes as of July 3rd 2025: The provisional figures for 2024 have been added.

Changes as of February 14th 2025: For 2023 one death by 'Acute poliomyelitis (A80)' is moved to 'Sequelae of poliomyelitis (B91)'.

When will new figures be published? The aim is to publish the final figures of 2024 in the fourth quarter of 2025.

This table contains provisional data on the number of deaths among the population of the Netherlands.

The data can be broken down by gender and age group.

Data available from: 1971

Status of the figures: The figures for the years 1971 to 2024 inclusive are final. The figures as of 2025 are provisional. These figures may change with each renewal of the publication due to the fact that death registrations received later are still included. As this method is different from the method used for monthly mortality figures, minor discrepancies may occur.

Changes as of 11 July 2025: The provisional figures of week 25 and 26 of 2025 have been added.

When will new figures be published? The table will be updated once every two weeks with provisional figures of the two weeks before the current week number minus one. Publication is usually delayed around public holidays.

Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 5-14 Years data was reported at 156.000 Person in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 157.000 Person for 2015. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 5-14 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 179.000 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 323.000 Person in 1990 and a record low of 156.000 Person in 2016. Netherlands NL: Number of Deaths Ages 5-14 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank: Health Statistics. Number of deaths of children ages 5-14 years; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Sum;

This table contains the number of deaths in the population of the Netherlands by underlying cause of death (short list), sex and age-group (at time of death).

Since 2013 Statistics Netherlands is using Iris software for automatic coding for cause of death. This improved the international comparison of the data. The change in coding did cause a considerable shift in the statistic. Since 2013 the (yearly) ICD-10 updates are applied.

Data available from: 1950

Status of the figures: The figures up until 2023 are final, the figures of 2024 are provisional.

Changes as of July 3rd 2025: The provisional figures for 2024 have been added.

When will new figures be published? The aim is to publish the final figures of 2024 in the fourth quarter of 2025.