The population of the Netherlands is getting increasingly older, due to longer life expectancy and a sub-replacement fertility rate.
[3] It is predicted that this will increase to 24% in 2035 with some areas facing more severe ageing than others, especially rural municipalities in the east of the country.
[5][6] The cause of the ageing population of the Netherlands can be traced back to the 1970s when the fertility rate started to rapidly drop.
[7] After the Second World War the fertility rate of the Netherlands was for twenty consecutive years higher than 3.0, with the baby boom as an outlier between 1945 and 1954.
[15] Some noted issues with older workers are that they may be less able to cope with work pressure and employing them will result in an increase in wage costs for companies.