Positive changes visible but more is needed to achieve goals of physical activity policy
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has investigated the progress and outcomes of the Dutch Action Plan on Physical Activity, implemented between 2023 and 2025.
RIVM offers municipalities and provinces support for healthy choices when space is limited
A healthy environment is one that is green and offers sufficient space for physical activity and social encounters. However, public space is limited in the Netherlands and its use is under pressure. This is why it is important for municipalities and provinces to be able to make healthy, science-based choices. RIVM has developed a few rules of thumb for this.
Two out of every one hundred pedestrians and same proportion of cyclists sustain injuries due to accidents
Every year, approximately 2% of all people in the Netherlands sustain injuries from falling in the street. Another 2% are injured in cycling accidents. These percentages are higher among people under the age of 25.
More and more adults drinking little alcohol or not at all
More and more adults are drinking no alcohol, or no more than one glass a day. Whereas 38 per cent drank little to no alcohol in 2012, this percentage rose to 45 per cent in 2024.
Structural policy plans and specific actions needed to encourage physical activity
Encouraging people in the Netherlands to be more physical active requires a structural, long-term physical activity policy that is not linked to a particular government term or short-term program.
Part of the Dutch adults are sufficiently physically active, but activity is not spread sufficiently throughout the week
More than one in ten Dutch people aged 18 and over engage in sufficient minutes of physical activity, but do not sufficiently spread out this throughout the week.
