Statistics Netherlands CBS StatLine Open Data Portal

Overview

Statistics Netherlands (Dutch: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBS), founded on 9 January 1899, is the official national statistical office of the Netherlands. StatLine is CBS's primary electronic database, providing free public access to over 4,000 statistical tables containing approximately 14 billion figures on the Dutch economy, population, and society. The open data portal makes all StatLine datasets freely downloadable under a CC BY 4.0 license.

History and Founding

CBS was established by Royal Decree following years of preparation; an initial Central Commission for Statistics was set up by Royal Decree on 6 October 1892, with the working bureau—the Central Bureau of Statistics—formally founded on 9 January 1899. It was created to address growing demand for reliable statistical data to support government policy in addressing social inequalities during industrialization. CBS has operated continuously since, maintaining offices in The Hague (headquarters) and Heerlen (established in 1974 to support regional economic development following coal mine closures). Since 3 January 2004, CBS has operated as an independent public body.

StatLine Open Data

StatLine is the central interface through which CBS disseminates its statistical findings. Users can compile custom tables and graphs, and download data in multiple formats via OData protocol. The StatLine open data portal (opendata.cbs.nl) indexes all available datasets by theme and keyword, providing web services for automated data retrieval. The platform is widely used by government bodies, researchers, journalists, and businesses. CBS publishes approximately 600 statistical surveys per year and receives approximately 75,000 media citations annually.

Access and Usage

All datasets are available free of charge to anyone. The OData API allows programmatic access, with quick-start guides for R and Python users. CBS also provides support through a LinkedIn group and an InfoService for users with specific questions.