The number of Dutch households which heavily depend on social security benefits rose from 660,000 to 875,000 between 2008 and 2014, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday.

Although the 2015 figures are not yet available, it is unlikely there was a further rise because of the economic recovery and falling unemployment, the CBS said.

The figures show that in 2014, 11.6% of Dutch families relied on benefits for at least 40% of their income – which the CBS classes as serious dependency.

However, in total almost two million households get some form of state handout, the CBS said.