Amsterdammers volunteer more often than average

25 October 2025
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Recently, ‘The State of the City of Amsterdam XI’ has been published, which examines social participation in the city. This publication is released every two years. The latest figures are for the year 2020. Here are the key highlights on volunteering in Amsterdam:

  ● 28% do volunteer workAlmost three out of ten Amsterdammers (28%) volunteered in 2020 for or through an organization. This percentage is significantly lower than two years ago (39%) and the years before, due to the restrictions on volunteering caused by the pandemic in 2020. Vrijwilligers Centrale Amsterdam expects that the percentage is now well above 30%.
● Amsterdammers volunteer more often than the average in the Netherlands28% of the residents of Amsterdam did volunteer work in 2020. This is significantly higher than the national percentage of 22%.
● In which district do most Amsterdammers do volunteer work?That is in the districts Southeast and South (both 32%), closely followed by North (31%), Center (29%), New West (26%), East (25%), and finally West district (24%).
  ● Which groups of Amsterdam residents do the most volunteering?Adults in families consisting of two adults with one or more children (37%), self-employed individuals (35%), and Amsterdam residents in the age group of 35 to 54 years (34%).
  ● What are Amsterdammers committed to?Most Amsterdammers volunteer for an organization with social goals, such as human rights, nature, or animal protection (7%). A similar and relatively large portion volunteered in 2020 by helping neighbors, the elderly, or people with disabilities (6%). The proportion involved in a sports club has actually decreased (6%), which can be explained by the closure of sports clubs in the spring and autumn of 2020. Furthermore, compared to previous years, a larger portion in 2020 volunteered in the field of assistance, for example, in the form of advice, education, telephone helplines, or legal services.

Help for neighbors or family
  ● 60% of the people in Amsterdam…has provided informal help in the past year. This is help that is given without the involvement of an organization or association. For example, doing groceries for a neighbor who is unable to do so or babysitting for a family member.
  ● Who does this the most?Groups that most often provide informal help are people with poor health (19%), or a long-term condition or illness (18%), adults from single-parent families (18%), freelancers (17%), people who feel connected to a religious movement (17%), and residents of the Nieuw-West district (17%).
  ● Question: “Would you offer help?”Just over a quarter of the surveyed Amsterdammers indicate they are willing to provide informal assistance to an acquaintance if asked to do so (27%). One quarter of Amsterdammers might do this (24%), and for 28%, it would depend on the circumstances. Although young Amsterdammers (18 to 34 years old) provide informal help the least often, within this age group, the willingness to help when asked is the highest (33%).

Source: The State of the City XI – developments in participation and living situation. September 2021. Research, Information, and Statistics Office (OIS), Municipality of Amsterdam.
Read more? That can be done here– Social participation starting from page 147.

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Contact

Want to know more about the work of the Amsterdam Volunteer Center in the city? Contact: Henriette van der Meij
T 06-35115435  |  h.vandermeij@vca.nu

Henriette van der Meij werkt voor:
- VCA Hoofdkantoor