Netherlands vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Netherlands
53.5%
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
51.3%
in 2021
Netherlands rank
13th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
15th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 53.5% against 51.3% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 2.2%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 60 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
Netherlands ranks 13th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 42 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.8% | 7.0% | 5.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 9.0% | 6.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1980s | 8.0% | 19.2% | 11.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1990s | 15.8% | 33.5% | 17.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2000s | 34.0% | 42.7% | 8.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 47.8% | 1.0% | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 53.5% | 49.0% | 4.5% | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Netherlands or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Netherlands, at 53.5% against 51.3% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Netherlands and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 2.2%, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
- How do Netherlands and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Netherlands ranks 13th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.