37% of Dutch Residents Report Feeling Unsafe
A 2025 survey by the CBS found that 37% of Dutch residents feel unsafe at least occasionally, a rise linked to increased violent and sexual offenses. Women over 15 were most affected, with city centers cited as the primary locations where people feel unsafe.
The recent rise in feelings of insecurity reverses a two-decade downward trend. While the 2025 survey marks an increase from 33% in 2019, the overall victimization rate for traditional crimes like theft and vandalism has remained stable at 20%. However, the number of recorded violent and sexual offenses has seen a 9% increase. A significant driver of this trend is the sharp increase in reported sex crimes, which rose by 13% in 2025 to 10,215. This follows the implementation of the new Sexual Offenses Act in July 2024, which considers sex without explicit consent to be rape and may have contributed to a higher willingness among victims to come forward. The increase in reports was particularly notable in the provinces of Drenthe (+30%) and Utrecht (+22%). There is a stark urban-rural divide in perceptions of safety. In cities, 43% of residents report feeling unsafe, compared to just 29% in non-urban areas. The disparity is even more pronounced for young women aged 15 to 25, with 60% feeling unsafe at times, more than double the rate for their male peers. A survey of Amsterdam women found 85% actively avoid certain areas like parks and bicycle tunnels after dark. In response to public safety concerns, municipalities are exploring technological solutions. Eindhoven has implemented a multi-camera AI system to detect unusual movement patterns in the city center. Amsterdam is using algorithms to prioritize investigations into illegal holiday rentals. The national government is also promoting AI innovation in the public sector to address safety challenges. The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) is actively involved in enhancing local safety. A recent initiative involves piloting emergency support points in nearly 70 municipalities, providing residents with access to information and help during service disruptions. These efforts are part of a broader Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which emphasizes an integrated, whole-of-society approach to safety and crisis management. Urban design plays a foundational role in public safety, a concept embedded in the Dutch "Sustainable Safety" approach to road design since the 1990s. This philosophy, which prioritizes traffic calming measures like "woonerfs" and car-restricted city centers, has been credited with an 80% reduction in traffic fatalities and informs ongoing spatial planning. The government's Strategic Plan for Road Safety 2030 continues this risk-driven approach. Despite these efforts, a recent investigation found that over 90% of Dutch municipalities lack a specific overview of locations where women feel unsafe. Urban researcher Eva James has highlighted the crucial need for municipalities to not only collect this data but also to commit to taking concrete action based on the findings to improve public space design.
