The number of people claiming welfare benefits rose for the first time since 2017 last year, as the coronavirus crisis hits people without permanent contracts in particular, according to a new analysis by national statistics agency CBS.

The CBS looked at welfare benefits over the past 20 years and found that for the past 12, Rotterdam has had more claims per head of the population than any other town or city.

By mid 2020, 68 people per 1,000 residents in the port city were claiming welfare (bijstand), the basic benefit for people not or no longer entitled to unemployment benefit (ww)

Second on the list was Arnhem with 56 claims per 1,000, with Amsterdam just behind that. Nationally, 28 in 1,000 people were living on welfare in mid 2020.

Bottom of the list was the Wadden Sea island of Ameland, with two claims per 1,000. The island’s permanent population is around 3,600.