The number of people unable to move because of a lack of suitable housing has more than doubled in six years.

The latest annual survey by WoonOnderzoek Nederland found 900,000 people who wanted to move house in the next two years but could not find a place to live.

The number is equivalent to 6.5% of people who responded to the survey in 2021, compared to 4% in 2018 and 3% in the 2015 edition. Since 2015 the average house price has gone up by nearly 90%, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures.

The problem is particularly acute among young people looking to move out of their parents’ home, 13% of whom were unable to find an alternative, and people under 40 living on their own, of whom 12% could not find a house.

More than half of cohabiting couples who are currently living in a rented house want to move in the next two years, but one-third of people in this group are unable to find something suitable.

People living in Noord-Holland province, including Amsterdam, had the most trouble finding a house, with 14.8% saying there was nothing suitable, compared to 4.7% in Drenthe and 5.8% in Limburg.