Neighbourhood liveability: the 1-9 score explained

The Leefbaarometer from the Dutch Ministry of the Interior gives every neighbourhood in the Netherlands a score. Here's how to read it and use it when buying a house.

When you buy a house, you also buy into a neighbourhood. But how do you objectively measure whether a neighbourhood is pleasant to live in? For this, the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) developed the Leefbaarometer: a scientific model that scores the liveability of every neighbourhood in the Netherlands on a scale of 1 to 9.

What is the Leefbaarometer?

The Leefbaarometer is an instrument that has been mapping liveability across the Netherlands since 2008. The model uses more than 100 indicators from official sources (CBS, police, Kadaster, RVO and more) to calculate a score per neighbourhood. The data is refreshed every two years.

The score runs from 1 (very poor) to 9 (excellent), with a score of 5 representing the national average.

The five dimensions of liveability

The overall score is composed of five dimensions, each measuring a different aspect of neighbourhood quality:

The five dimension scores give a much more nuanced picture than the overall figure alone. A neighbourhood might score highly on safety but low on amenities — important to know if you have a family and want good schools nearby.

Percentile ranking: where do you stand compared to the rest of the Netherlands?

Alongside the 1-9 score, the percentile ranking is a valuable measure. A percentile of 75 means your neighbourhood scores better than 75% of all neighbourhoods in the Netherlands. This gives you a sense of how exceptional a score really is.

Buurtscan shows both the score and the percentile, so you can instantly see how your neighbourhood compares to the rest of the country.

Trend: is the neighbourhood getting better or worse?

At least as important as the current score is the trend. The Leefbaarometer has data going back to 2002, allowing you to see how a neighbourhood has developed over the years.

Buurtscan shows the liveability trend over 2 and 10 years, including changes per dimension. This lets you see whether a neighbourhood is structurally improving or whether the score is a one-off from a single good year.

How to use the liveability score as a buyer

Practical tips for interpreting the liveability score:

1. Look at all five dimensions, not just the overall figure. Decide which dimensions matter most to you (family? amenities. Working from home? physical environment)
2. Compare with the municipality, not just the national average. A score of 5 in Amsterdam is very different from a 5 in a village in Drenthe
3. Check the trend over multiple measurement points. A consistently rising trend is a strong signal
4. Combine with other data — the liveability score doesn't tell you everything. Also look at crime figures, WOZ property value trends and climate risks
5. Check adjacent neighbourhoods — neighbourhood boundaries are sometimes arbitrary. You might live on the edge of a lower-scoring area but actually benefit from a higher-scoring neighbourhood next door

Explore the liveability map of the Netherlands

The interactive map below shows liveability across the entire Netherlands, from red (bottom 25%) to green (top 25%). Zoom in on any neighbourhood to see the exact score.

Open the full liveability map in a new tab →

Where can you find the liveability score?

The official source is leefbaarometer.nl from the Ministry of the Interior. However, the interface is not particularly user-friendly for looking up individual addresses.

On Buurtscan, the Leefbaarometer data is presented per address with the overall score, all five dimension scores, percentile ranking and trend over 2 and 10 years. Combined with 21 other data sources, you get the most complete neighbourhood report available.

Use the Chrome extension to see the liveability score right alongside property listings on Funda and Pararius while you browse.