A 6.5% rise in house prices in December took total increase in 2019 to 6.9%, according to new figures from national statistics agency CBS and the Kadaster land registry office.

In total, 22,573 homes changed hands in December, a rise of 16% on December 2018. In 2019 as a whole, nearly 220,000 homes changed hands – almost the same as in 2018.

House prices in the Netherlands reached a peak in August 2008 and then fell as the economic crisis took hold, reaching their lowest level in June 2013. Since then, prices have risen steadily, reaching their highest ever level at the end of last year.

The highest price rise – 8.4% – was in Groningen province – the biggest increase in the province in 14 years. Utrecht, with an increase of 8%, booked the biggest increase of any city – but that is still the smallest increase in four years, the CBS said.

Noord-Holland province had the lowest increase – 5.4% while in Amsterdam itself prices were up no more than 3.4% over the year.