Some 500,000 children in the Nertherlands do not play sport, have music lessons or join clubs, often because they cannot afford to, the government’s social policy unit SCP says in a new report.

The SCP says one-fifth of the country’s five to 18-year-olds do not take part in any official form of recreation. But, some 34% of poor children don’t join clubs compared with 17% of children from better-off families.
The SCP defines a poor household as one with less than 120% of the social minimum – €17,628 for a single parent with one child or €20,321 for two parents and two children. In total, 343,000 children live in households with income below this level, the SCP says.
The survey shows that children who are being raised on welfare benefits (bijstand) are least likely to play sport or join a club. Just 44% play sport and 12% take part in cultural activities. Among the richer children, 77% are members of a sports club and 26% are involved with music, dance or theatre, the SCP says.