The number of atheists in the Netherlands has now outstripped the number of people who believe in god, Trouw says on Friday.

Research by the Ipsos institute found just over a quarter of the population describe themselves as atheists while 17% believe in the existence of a god, the paper says.

The last time the research was carried out in 2012 it put believers ahead of atheists. Some 60% are agnostic or unsure.

At the same time, 53% believe in some form of life after death, the research found.

Psychologist Joke van Saane says technogical developments are having an impact on traditional patterns of belief. ‘It used to be that your village, your family or your church determined who you are,’ she told Trouw. ‘Now you can be someone on Facebook without traditional links.’