Some 3.5 million people in the Netherlands are likely to live alone by 2030, a rise of 400,000 on the current total, national statistics agency CBS says in its new population forecasts.

In particular, elderly women are likely to be living alone, as women on the whole live longer than men, the CBS said.

By 2030, the Netherlands will consist of around 8.5 million households, compared with 7.9 million at present. The population is likely to hit around 18 million in 2029, by which time a quarter of the population will be over the age of 65. The number of over-80s will rise to 1.2 million by then, the CBS says.

The current population of the Netherlands is 17.1 million.

Nevertheless, the figures need to be used with caution, the CBS says, because immigration figures are uncertain.

The population shifts will also have an impact on housing and the shortage of properties suitable for families will grow, if older people continue living in their family home.

‘Every year, 100,000 young families need to be housed,’ Delft University professor Peter Boelhouwer told NOS radio. Elderly people are often reluctant to move and like living where they do, he said.

‘Just 3% really want to move, compared with 9% of people in other age groups,’ he said. ‘It is a difficult thing to do if you are used to living in a certain place.’