CBS: more Dutch people victims of violence
The Safety Monitor shows a rise in 2025, while online intimidation relatively often has psychological effects.
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In 2025, 6.7 per cent of people in the Netherlands aged 15 and over said they had been victims of a violent offence. That was 6.4 per cent in 2023 and 5.2 per cent in 2021, according to the CBS’s new Safety Monitor.
The figures come from a biennial survey of people aged 15 and over. CBS uses it to measure victimisation as reported by people themselves; it does not concern the number of reports or cases registered by the police. The findings therefore provide a picture of experienced crime, including offences that do not become known to the police.
The rise is mainly apparent in the longer comparison with 2021. In 2025, 1.3 per cent were victims of assault, 4.9 per cent of threats involving physical violence and 1.9 per cent of sexual offences. In 2023, those percentages were 1.1, 4.6 and 1.9 per cent respectively; in 2021, they were 1.0, 4.0 and 1.1 per cent.
Show the figures
| The Netherlands | |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 5.2% |
| 2023 | 6.4% |
| 2025 | 6.7% |
The picture is also mixed for other forms of traditional crime. Twenty per cent of respondents were victims of at least one offence in 2025, compared with 19.9 per cent in 2023 and 17.1 per cent in 2021. At 10.7 per cent, property offences occurred slightly less often than in 2023, while vandalism, at 6.8 per cent, was higher than in 2021.
CBS also published figures on the consequences of crime. Of all victims, 20 per cent said they had experienced emotional or psychological problems as a result. That share was highest for online threats and intimidation: 40 per cent. For violent offences it was 32.2 per cent, for property offences 19.5 per cent and for vandalism 14.6 per cent.
The proximity of the incident makes a difference. In cases of online threats or intimidation, 54 per cent reported psychological problems when the perpetrator was someone they knew, compared with 26.5 per cent when the perpetrator was a stranger. For violent offences, the difference was 46.4 versus 24.6 per cent. CBS is not thereby suggesting that every reported offence has the same impact.
The figures do not mean that the Netherlands became less safe everywhere in a single year. The Safety Monitor measures experiences over the previous twelve months and has margins of uncertainty. The rise in reported violent victimisation compared with 2021 is nevertheless clearly visible. The figures describe both reported victimisation and the consequences reported by victims.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- CBS reports violent victimisation of 6.7 per cent in 2025, compared with 6.4 per cent in 2023 and 5.2 per cent in 2021.
- The Safety Monitor is based on self-reporting by people aged 15 and over.
- According to CBS, online threats and intimidation are relatively often associated with reported psychological problems.
Left
Arguments Typically emphasises that victims need better support, accessible mental-health care and prevention of online intimidation.
Values Equality, protection of vulnerable groups and public responsibility.
Consequences Warns that people who are particularly close to the offence may suffer lasting consequences if support and enforcement are inadequate.
Centre
Arguments Emphasises a combination of reliable registration, victim support, digital resilience and targeted enforcement, while allowing for the margins of uncertainty in surveys.
Values Proportionality, evidence and workable policy.
Consequences Seeks to prevent a rise in self-reporting from automatically leading to general security measures without a clear view of their effectiveness.
Right
Arguments Emphasises visible enforcement, a tougher approach to threats and greater responsibility for perpetrators and platforms.
Values Public order, responsibility and protection of citizens.
Consequences Fears that insufficient action will further undermine confidence in the police and government.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures and definitions were checked directly against the Safety Monitor and the accompanying CBS publication. The text distinguishes between self-reported victimisation and police registrations.
- confirmed 6.7 per cent of people in the Netherlands aged 15 and over reported being victims of a violent offence in 2025. — CBS Safety Monitor 2025, table on traditional crime. source
- confirmed The share was 6.4 per cent in 2023 and 5.2 per cent in 2021. — CBS Safety Monitor 2025. source
- confirmed Forty per cent of victims of online threats or intimidation reported psychological problems. — CBS publication of 5 November 2026. source
- confirmed The Safety Monitor is a biennial survey of people aged 15 and over. — CBS methodological explanation. source
Editor's note
The key figures come from the CBS survey of people aged 15 and over. The monitor measures victimisation and consequences, not all recorded crime; margins of uncertainty remain important.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „criminaliteit geweld”
- NOS — „criminaliteit geweld”
- Het Parool — „criminaliteit geweld”