In total, 427,304 people in the Netherlands have disappeared from official records, according to figures from the national statistics office CBS compiled for RTL news.

The total is up 32,000 on a year ago, the CBS said. These ‘ghosts’ have vanished for a variety of reason. Some have moved abroad without letting their local council know they have gone while others have disappeared deliberately, RTL said.

Another group cannot be tracked down by local council tax officials but continue to receive social security benefits. Last year, the social affairs ministry said local councils can compare books in an effort to track down local tax dodgers.

Most missing people live in Amsterdam, where 85,000 people cannot be traced, RTL said.