These are people who, after paying their housing costs, energy costs, health insurance and deductible, do not have enough money left over for food, clothing or social activities, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Half a million people in poverty
Nationally, more than half a million people lived in poverty last year, which amounts to 3.1 percent of the population. The differences between municipalities are large: the share of residents in poverty varies from 1.1 to 6.9 percent.
North Holland is doing relatively well in that respect. In 37 of the 44 municipalities, the share of people in poverty is (far) below the national average.
Edam-Volendam, Castricum and Opmeer particularly stand out, with the lowest poverty rates in the province. In these municipalities, ‘only’ 1.3 percent of residents live below the poverty line.