The amount of untouched countryside and woods in the Netherlands declined some 2.5% in the ten years to 2022 to make way for new housing, roads and industry, national statistics agency CBS said on Friday.

But proportionally more agricultural land was also ploughed up for building projects, the agency said.

In total, the space covered by housing, infrastructure and industry expanded 3.4% or 277 square kilometres between 2013 and 2022, of which 178 square kilometres used to be agricultural land. 

Most lost farmland and untouched countryside was in Zuid-Holland province, followed by Friesland. 

By contrast, there was actually an increase in the amount of land designated agricultural or “nature” in Drenthe, Overijssel, Noord-Brabant and Limburg over the 10-year period.