Netherlands · Area of law · Socialezekerheidsrecht
Social security law in the Netherlands: published decisions
In 2025, 3,996 published decisions carry the social security law label (Socialezekerheidsrecht) in the Netherlands, 7% fewer than in 2024. They come from 12 of the 19 courts, and Centrale Raad van Beroep accounts for 46% of them. Together they make up 6.2% of the decisions published that year. These counts describe published case law, not the number of cases brought.
- Published decisions in 20253,996−7% over one year
- Share of all published decisions6.2%of the 64,124 decisions of the 19 courts
- Courts with decisions12 of 1911 district courts, 0 courts of appeal, 1 highest court
- Largest countCentrale Raad van Beroep1,849 decisions, 46% of this area
Courts publishing these decisions
The table lists the courts whose published decisions in 2025 carry the social security law label, with the number of decisions, the share of all decisions with this label and the weight of this area in each court's own published decisions.
In 2025, 3,996 published decisions carry this label, 7% fewer than in 2024, from 12 of the 19 courts. Centrale Raad van Beroep accounts for 1,849 (46%), followed by Rechtbank Den Haag (492) and Rechtbank Zeeland-West-Brabant (464). By level, district courts account for 54%, the highest courts for 46%.
| Court | Level | Decisions 2025 | Share of this area | Share of the court's decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centrale Raad van Beroep | Highest administrative court | 1,849 | 46% | 97% |
| Rechtbank Den Haag | District court | 492 | 12% | 2.7% |
| Rechtbank Zeeland-West-Brabant | District court | 464 | 12% | 7.6% |
| Rechtbank Midden-Nederland | District court | 351 | 8.8% | 6.8% |
| Rechtbank Rotterdam | District court | 264 | 6.6% | 5.7% |
| Rechtbank Gelderland | District court | 150 | 3.8% | 7.2% |
| Rechtbank Amsterdam | District court | 110 | 2.8% | 4% |
| Rechtbank Noord-Holland | District court | 98 | 2.5% | 2.8% |
| Rechtbank Oost-Brabant | District court | 98 | 2.5% | 9.1% |
| Rechtbank Overijssel | District court | 83 | 2.1% | 5.1% |
| Rechtbank Noord-Nederland | District court | 35 | 0.9% | 2.7% |
| Rechtbank Limburg | District court | 2 | under 0.1% | 0.1% |
Published decisions only: each court publishes a different share of its rulings, so these counts are not caseloads and cannot be compared as workloads.
Decisions year by year
This chart follows, year by year, the number of published decisions that carry the social security law label. The volume measures what is published, not the number of cases brought in the same year.
Over the period, the number of published social security law decisions went from 3,691 in 2013 to 3,996 in 2025 (+8%). The yearly count ranged from 3,691 in 2013 to 4,834 in 2023. These decisions were 6.2% of all published decisions in 2025 and 15% in 2013.
- District courts
- Courts of appeal
- Highest courts
| Year | District courts | Courts of appeal | Highest courts | Total | Share of all decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 168 | 1 | 3,522 | 3,691 | 15% |
| 2014 | 225 | 0 | 3,625 | 3,850 | 16% |
| 2015 | 333 | 0 | 4,109 | 4,442 | 18% |
| 2016 | 392 | 1 | 4,037 | 4,430 | 17% |
| 2017 | 482 | 0 | 3,489 | 3,971 | 15% |
| 2018 | 514 | 0 | 3,376 | 3,890 | 14% |
| 2019 | 454 | 1 | 3,666 | 4,121 | 15% |
| 2020 | 1,155 | 0 | 3,231 | 4,386 | 12% |
| 2021 | 1,659 | 0 | 3,064 | 4,723 | 11% |
| 2022 | 2,092 | 0 | 2,626 | 4,718 | 11% |
| 2023 | 2,437 | 0 | 2,397 | 4,834 | 9.3% |
| 2024 | 1,946 | 0 | 2,358 | 4,304 | 7.5% |
| 2025 | 2,147 | 0 | 1,849 | 3,996 | 6.2% |
Series start in 2013, the first year of the current court map. The series reflect what courts publish and how decisions are labelled as well as what they decide.
Related areas
Each detailed area belongs to one of three broad groups of areas of law. The table sets social security law beside the group it belongs to and the other detailed areas of that group.
Social security law decisions are 10% of the 38,907 published in 2025 under the administrative law label. Other detailed areas of the group include immigration law (16,353), tax law (5,173) and administrative procedure (2,505).
| Area of law | Decisions 2025 | Share of the group | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative law | 38,907 | – | +10% |
| Social security law | 3,996 | 10% | −7% |
| Immigration law | 16,353 | 42% | +16% |
| Tax law | 5,173 | 13% | −3% |
| Administrative procedure | 2,505 | 6.4% | +19% |
| Planning and environmental law | 2,001 | 5.1% | +28% |
| Civil service law | 116 | 0.3% | −28% |
| European administrative law | 3 | under 0.1% | – |
| Competition law (administrative) | 3 | under 0.1% | – |
A decision can carry several labels, so the detailed areas do not add up to the group.
Understanding these figures
What social security law covers
Social security law covers benefits and insurance schemes: sickness and disability benefits, unemployment benefits, social assistance, state pensions, and the recovery of benefits paid in error. In 2025, 3,996 published decisions carried this label.
Which courts hear these cases
Cases begin in a district court. Appeals go to the Central Appeals Tribunal, the highest court in this field. In 2025, published decisions with this label came from 12 of the 19 courts.
A published selection
The figures count decisions published on rechtspraak.nl, the website of the Dutch judiciary, where each decision carries a European Case Law Identifier (ECLI). Courts publish only part of their rulings, and the share published differs from one court to another, from one area of law to another and from one year to the next. For social security law, the published decisions of 2025 are those counted; they are not the number of cases brought.
How areas of law are labelled
Each published decision carries one or more area-of-law labels. There are three broad groups, administrative law, civil law and public international law, and, within them, detailed areas such as tax law or family law. A decision can carry several labels, and some carry only a broad one, so the detailed areas do not add up to their group and counts for different areas cannot be added together.
Reading these figures with care
The number of published social security law decisions depends on how many cases reach the courts and on what the courts publish in this field. In 2025, Centrale Raad van Beroep alone published 46% of them, and the decisions come from 12 courts. The number of detailed area labels per published decision went from 0.46 in 2013 to 0.73 in 2025, so the evolution of a detailed area also reflects how often these labels are applied. The data hold counts only, with no outcome and no time to judgment, and no statistic can predict the outcome of a particular case.
Frequently asked questions
How many social security law decisions were published in the Netherlands in 2025?
In 2025, 3,996 decisions published on rechtspraak.nl carried the social security law label, 7% fewer than in 2024. They come from 12 of the 19 courts covered here and make up 6.2% of all decisions published that year.
Which Dutch courts publish social security law decisions?
In 2025, Centrale Raad van Beroep published 1,849 of them, followed by Rechtbank Den Haag (492) and Rechtbank Zeeland-West-Brabant (464). District courts account for 54% of the decisions, courts of appeal for 0% and the highest courts for 46%.
Has the number of published social security law decisions changed over time?
The number of published social security law decisions went from 3,691 in 2013 to 3,996 in 2025. Their share of all published decisions went from 15% in 2013 to 6.2% in 2025.
What does social security law cover?
Social security law covers benefits and insurance schemes: sickness and disability benefits, unemployment benefits, social assistance, state pensions, and the recovery of benefits paid in error.
Do these figures show how many social security law cases are brought?
No. They count decisions published on rechtspraak.nl, a selection of all rulings, and a case can produce several decisions. The counts describe published case law, not the number of cases brought.