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.

In 2024, 18 per cent of adults smoked, 6 per cent drank alcohol to excess and half of all adults were overweight. Compared to 10 years ago, the percentage of smokers and excessive drinkers has decreased. The percentage of overweight people has stayed the same.

People in the lowest socio-economic group are less likely to rate their oral health as ‘good’ (66%) than people in the highest socio-economic group (80%). There are other differences between these groups as well, including in the number of annual visits to the dentist or dental hygienist.

In 2023, 56% of the Dutch population aged four and over played sports at least once a week. This figure marks an increase from 53% in 2022. Notably, the percentage of individuals with physical disabilities who played sports weekly saw a significant rise, from 23% to 29%.

In 2023, 16% of people in the Netherlands aged 20 and over were classified as obese (with a Body Mass Index (BMI(Body Mass Index)) of 30 or above) – more than three times as much as in 1981, the first year of record.

The number of people in the Netherlands aged four and over who meet the Physical Activity Guidelines has fallen since 2020. In 2022, 44.3% of the population was sufficiently physically active.

In 2021 half of all adults were overweight. 21% sometimes smoked, 7% were excessive drinkers and 8% heavy drinkers.