Dutch murder rate almost halves in 20 years, there were 17 in Amsterdam last year

The number of murder victims in the Netherlands has almost halved since the turn of the century, according to a new analysis by national statistics office CBS.

In 2000, 223 people were murdered -153 men and 70 women – but by last year this had fallen to 81 and 44, or a total of 125. And 16 of the 2019 victims did not officially live in the Netherlands, even though they were killed here, the CBS said.

Almost six in 10 women and girls who are murdered are killed by a partner or ex, and they are often killed at home, the CBS said. Another family member or parent account for a further 20% of female murder victims.

By contrast, just 12% of men and boys are killed by a family member. Over a quarter of men are killed by a friend and just under a quarter were murdered by someone who was never identified.

In total, 17 people were murdered in Amsterdam last year, 14 in The Hague and 11 in Rotterdam.