NETHERLANDS: Longevity on the increase

. HILVERSUM, The Netherlands / Radio Netherlands Worldwide / March 23, 2009 The number of centenarians in the Netherlands has grown by almost five times in the past 30 years. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures show that in 1979 there were only 350 people aged 100 or over, whereas on January 1, 2009 the country had some 1,600 centenarians. With a current population of some 16.5 million, that means around one in every 10,000 inhabitants of the Netherlands is over the age of 100. The government statistics office points out that life expectancy for middle-aged and older people, and women in particular, has increased over the past few decades, leading to a higher of number of people living to very advanced ages. Most new centenarians are women. In 1979 one third of all Dutch 100-year-olds were male; this has now gone down to one in eight. Only three Dutch people still alive were born as far back as the 19th century. The oldest Dutch citizen is a 111-year old woman who lives in Rotterdam. Copyright Radio Netherlands Worldwide 2009