A lack of ready cash will keep 25% of the Dutch population at home this year, according to new research by family spending institute Nibud.

The annual Nibud holiday money report revealed that 54% of people who are not going on holiday this year say they cannot afford it – up from 42% in 2017. Nibud defines a holiday as more than six nights away from home.

People living on welfare benefits or working for the lowest pay rates generally find holidays too expensive, Nibud said, and they are more likely to use their annual holiday bonuses to pay off debt rather than to take a break.

In the Netherlands, holiday pay is a statutory part of the salary package, and paid out to people who are both in work or claiming benefits at the end of May.

The average holiday is for 15 days and half of the nearly 1,000 people polled spend more than €1,500 on their annual break, Nibud said.