A six-fold increase since the mid-90s
The number of same-sex couples raising children in the Netherlands has seen a significant and steady increase over the past three decades, with nearly 10,000 such families recorded at the start of 2024. This represents a six-fold rise compared to 1995, according to new figures released by the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS).
These rainbow families, whose children may have joined them through donors, surrogacy, adoption, or from a parent's previous relationship, now constitute approximately 0.5% of all couples with a child living at home.
Two-mother families lead the growth
The data reveals that households with two mothers make up the vast majority of these families. Of the nearly 10,000 couples, almost 9,000 (90%) consist of two women. The remaining 1,000 couples (10%) are two men.
The growth has been consistent for both groups. In 1995, there were just 1,200 two-mother families and 150 two-father families. The near-annual increase since then reflects a long-term trend in the formation of LGBTQ+ families in the country.
Urban centres are hotspots for rainbow families
Geographically, same-sex parent households are more commonly found in and around the country's larger cities. The highest concentrations are in the regions of Haarlem, Arnhem/Nijmegen, and Greater Amsterdam, where same-sex couples make up between 0.7% and 0.8% of all households with children.
In contrast, more rural areas such as parts of Friesland and Zeeland show the lowest proportions, at around 0.3%. Despite the regional differences, same-sex parent couples remain a minority everywhere, never exceeding 0.8% of all parent couples in any region.
A closer look at the parents
The CBS report also offers insights into the parents themselves, revealing notable differences in age. On average, male couples tend to be older when their first child is born. In 2024, the youngest partner in a two-father couple was 34.1 years old on average at the birth of their eldest child, a significant increase of over eight years from 1995 (24.8 years).
For two-mother couples, the average age was 32.1, a figure that has remained relatively stable since the mid-2000s. For comparison, the average age for the youngest parent in a heterosexual couple was 29.2.
The age gap between partners is also wider in same-sex couples. In 2024, the average difference was 10.6 years for two fathers and 6.4 years for two mothers, compared to just 3.7 years for heterosexual couples.
