There were almost one million people living in poverty in the Netherlands in 2016, a sharp drop on the number who did not have enough to live on in 2013, according to a new report by the government’s socio-economic think-tank SCP.

Two years ago, 6% of the population had less to spend than the SCP suggests is necessary to pay for basic provisions and to participate in society, but five years ago, before the economic recovery really kicked in, the figure was 7.6%, the think-tank says.

The figures are in contrast to a report by the national statistics agency CBS last week which said that in 2017, more families are living on or near the breadline in the Netherlands.

The CBS said said the number of income households in the Netherlands had gone up for the first time in four years last year, taking the number of households on the poverty line to 599,000 or 8.2% of the total.

The difference lies largely in the different definitions used by the two government agencies.

The CBS says single people with an income of no more than €1,040 and families with two children on an income of €1,960 risk poverty.

The SCP limits are higher because it includes an amount to pay for hobbies and socialising outside work. It puts the limit, which it describes as ‘not much but sufficient’ for a single person at €1,139 and for a family with one children at €1,850.