More people last year experienced local nuisance related to drugs, according to a study by Dutch statistics office CBS.

Last year, 490,000 people said they had suffered from this in their home neighbourhood, roughly 3.3% of the population over 14.

But in 2021, only 440,000 people reported disruption related to drugs. The problems are particularly marked in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and large cities near the Dutch southern and eastern borders.

The CBS safety monitor asks people whether they are bothered by drug use and drug dealing, and to what degree. In cities, 6% of people last year reported serious problems around drug use, while 5.5% of those in cities suffered serious issues related to drug dealing.