The average age is slowly shifting in the Netherlands. This is clear when comparing data on the Dutch population published by Statistics Netherlands for 2000 and 2018. In 2000, the average age in the Netherlands was 38.2. Eighteen years later, the average age has risen to 41.8 years. Netherlands Statistics also make the ageing Dutch population visible by looking at the so-called ‘old-age dependency ratio’, the number of people aged 65 and over and the number of people aged 20-65. It provides insight into the number of seniors compared to the working or potentially working population. In 2000, the old-age dependency ratio was 21.9%, versus 32% in 2018.

In short, the Dutch population is ageing and the number of people under 65 years old is decreasing in relative terms. The average age of most daily newspapers’ readers has risen in line with this demographic development. These daily newspapers are selective among older readers and have more difficulties retaining younger readers.

This doesn’t count for the FD. The average FD reader is 43 years old (i.e. nearly two years older than the average age in the Netherlands). As such, the FD has the largest share of young readers of all national daily newspapers.

47% of the total Dutch population are in the 25-54 age bracket. Nearly 60% of all FD readers are in this group. These are people in the prime of their life, often in Social Class A and the highest income class (W1). The FD realises a selectivity index of 126 for people aged 25-54, making it the only national newspaper with an index exceeding 100.

A few other interesting facts:

• 62% of all men and women aged 25-54 work at least 25 hours per week.
• 10% of this audience have a gross household income of at least € 84,700.
• 52% of people in this age bracket like to spoil themselves with beautiful things (nationwide: 48%).
• And it is not just the FD newspaper that is doing well in this audience, as the same holds for FD.nl: 46% of our visitors are 25 to 54 years old.

Would you like more insight into this very interesting target audience? Please contact your FD Mediagroep account manager or send an e-mail to marketingbtob@fdmediagroep.nl.