Population centers 2001

In the Netherlands it was common practice in the traditional post-war census until 1971 to provide an overview of population concentrations with the corresponding populations. The so-called local classification was used for this purpose. As early as the census of 1947, the administrative level of the municipalities was considered to be less suitable for sketching a picture of the spread of the population across the country, due to the large differences in the size and extent of the municipalities. Since 1947, the number of municipalities has more than halved. A national overview of the spatial distribution of the population is therefore important, more than fifty years ago, especially since the last survey dates back to three decades ago. On the occasion of the Dutch virtual census 2001 CBS picked up this thread again. The European Commission’s wish to obtain statistical information on the population of the so-called ‘urban areas’ through the 2001 European Census Programme has also played a role. As a result of this programme, CBS compiled the statistical data for all population centres, and not only for those cores classified as ‘urban areas’ by the European Union. Data: reporting year 2001. Changes compared to the previous version. With effect from 7 December 2012, the naming of the population centres in Friesland has been supplemented with the Frisian naming. Status of the figures: final