countries - nl - Facts and figures

Facts and figures

These figures are disaggregated by age, gender and severity of disability. The number of persons with a moderate to severe physical disability, including visual and auditory impairments, is estimated at 1.7 million people, or 12% of the population. The number of persons with an intellectual disability is estimated at approximately 110,000 (EUMAP).

Data on employment indicate that:

Statistics Netherlands reports that unemployment generally is 4.1% of the population (1^st quarter 2009). It is unclear what the employment rate is among disabled persons, but data shows that between 2002 and 2005 the employment rate for persons with disabilities dropped from 44% to 39%. (SCP 2007) OECD reports that 44% of people with disability are employed. In 2006 some 99,000 people were employed in some form of sheltered employment, with 16,000 people on a waiting list.

Data on education indicate that:

Education statistics from the Jaarboek Onderwijs 2009 indicate that in 2007/2008 the number of children in primary school in the Netherlands is 1,553,000 and in secondary school 941,000. These figures reflect a 5% growth as compared with the school year 1995/1996. The number of children in schools for special education is 65,000, a growth of 84% as compared with 1995/1996. (CBS, Statistics Netherlands). CBS reports that this is double the number in 1995/1996. The increase is especially prominent at the highschool level. 25 of every 1,000 students attended a school for special education in 2007/2008 as opposed to 14 in 1,000 in 1995/1995, despite government policy measures to increase mainstreaming, including via student-specific financing. Special schools for children with behavioural difficulties (Cluster 4) have experienced the most growth. At the same time the number of children with special financing to give support for education in regular schools (Backpack financing) was 25,000 in 2007/2008.

Data on accessibility indicate that:

Half of physically disabled people surveyed by the SCP feel hindered in their social contacts. For people with severe disabilities, limited transportation constitutes the second most difficult obstacle to social inclusion (first is a weak financial position). In 2010 all buses in the NL should be accessible to disabled persons, and in 2024 70% of the trains. (Vilans)

The SCP 2007 Report devotes a chapter to Social Participation and Accessibilty and reports.

The government aims to provide support services tailored to individual needs, and recognizes that some 395,000 ground floor dwellings will be needed before 2015 to meet the need for homes without stairs.

Data from the MeAC accessibility survey (2008) showed that:

Only 2 out of 5 selected public websites, but none of the selected commercial websites, passed the accessibility evaluation.

The main emergency number was accessible by text phone.

Both of the main public television channels provided some national language programs with subtitling and some programmes with signing or audio description (quantity data unavailable).

Both commercial TV channels provided some national language programs with subtitling but not with signing or audio description.

Neither of the two main banks had installed any talking ATMs.

Data on poverty and incomes indicate that:

Statistics Netherlands Poverty Monitor 2007 does not directly address disability, but indicates that poor health is one of the three factors leading to poverty and social exclusion. Households dependent on benefits other than unemployment benefits are among the poorest in the Netherlands. For 43% of people with moderate to severe disabilties benefits are their primary source of income (SCP Report 2007). WAJONG recipients (youth disability unemployment benefits) receive 75% of the minimum wage, which is a cause for concern. The SCP Report 2007 reports an increase in WAJONG recipients from 134,000 in 2002 t0 156,000 in 2006. This has increased steadily since.

Data on attitudes indicate that:

The 2007 Special Eurobarometer on Discrimination in Europe showed that 62% of people knew someone who was disabled (compared to 55% EU average) and 84% acknowledged that being disabled tended to be a disadvantage in society (EU average 79%).

Disability discrimination was viewed as widespread by 53% (EU average 53%); 23% thought that disability discrimination was more widespread than five years ago. 43% thought that not enough was being done to combat discrimination in general in The Netherlands (EU average 51%).

73% thought that more disabled people should be in the workplace (EU average 74%) but 91% agreed that specific measures on equal opportunities were needed in this field.

Data on public spending indicate that:

Spending on sickness and disability represents 4.5% of GDP (more than twice the OECD average - OECD Report on Sickness, Disability and Work). Of this, €637 million was spent on personal support budgets in 2007 (up from 56.5 million euros in 2000) (Statistics Netherlands).