The number of young women living in major Dutch urban centres far outstrips the number of men, according to new figures from national statistics office CBS.

In Utrecht in particular there are 138 young women aged 20 to 25 for every 100 men of a similar age, the CBS said. The picture is similar in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam although the difference is not as large.

Young women are increasingly attracted to the move from rural areas to the cities to work or study. They are also then more likely to meet their future partner in an urban setting, the CBS said.

In the Netherlands as a whole, there are more men than women and more baby boys are born than girls, the CBS said.