Some 2.4 million babies were born in the Netherlands period 1946-1955: the baby boom generation. The consequences of the enormous birth wave were far-reaching: overcrowded primary school classes in the 1950s, an influx on the labour market and in higher education in the 1960s, a construction frenzy in the 1970s, and a surge in the number of over-65s from 2011 onwards. Their retirement has caused a sharp rise in the number of state pensions. In the coming years, the Dutch population will comprise 200 thousand new over-65s every year.

Baby boomers in the Netherlands. What the statistics say gives an impression of how this post-war generation are doing in a number of areas. It is a snapshot of their situation today, looks back at their past and forward to their future.