Sometimes it can seem as if transgender people have only recently become visible. In the news, on social media, in series, at school, at work or in sports. That quickly raises the question: how many people are transgender, really?
The short answer: in the Netherlands, according to Statistics Netherlands, it is about 1 percent of the population aged 15 and older. That is an estimated 151,000 people. But that number does not tell the whole story. How you count, what exactly you ask and whether people feel safe enough to answer honestly all make a big difference.
That is why this is not a blog with one simple number and that is it. We explain what the figures say, where they come from, why studies sometimes differ from each other and why that matters if you are trans yourself, know someone who is trans or simply want to understand it better.
What does transgender mean exactly?
Transgender is a broad term for people whose gender identity does not match the sex they were registered as at birth. This can mean someone is a trans man, a trans woman, non-binary, genderqueer or falls outside the expectations around men and women in another way.
Not everyone uses the same words for themselves. One person may like the word transgender. Another may say trans, non-binary, gender diverse or may prefer not to use a label at all. That can make statistics complicated, but it does not make someone’s experience any less real.
It is also good not to confuse gender identity with sexual orientation. Gender identity is about who you are. Sexual orientation is about who you are attracted to. A trans man can be straight, gay, bi, queer, asexual or something else. Just like anyone else.
How many people are transgender in the Netherlands?
If you search for how many people are transgender, in the Netherlands you will usually come across figures from Statistics Netherlands, Rutgers, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research or advocacy organisations such as Transgender Netwerk. The most recent estimate from Statistics Netherlands from 2024 says that about 1 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 or older is transgender. That comes down to around 151,000 people. Within that group, Statistics Netherlands also mentions around 45,000 people with a non-binary or genderqueer identity.
That is an important number, because it shows that transgender people are not a tiny exception you only come across online. In a medium-sized city, at a school, in a sports club or in a workplace, there are probably more trans and gender diverse people than you think.
At the same time, 1 percent is not an absolute final answer. Statistics Netherlands itself notes that official registrations are much lower. In 2021, for example, 5,820 people in the Netherlands were registered as having changed their sex in the Personal Records Database. That difference makes sense. Not everyone wants to or is able to change something legally. For non-binary people, official recognition with an X is currently extra complicated, because this has to go through the courts.
Why do the figures differ between studies?
Studies about transgender people do not always give the same percentage. That does not automatically mean one study is wrong. It mainly means that the way the question is asked matters.
If you ask: “Have you officially changed your sex?” you get a much lower number. If you ask: “Do you fully identify with the sex you were registered as at birth?” you often get a higher number. If you ask about self-identification as transgender, non-binary or genderqueer, the answer also depends on language, age, culture, safety and recognition.
Rutgers, for example, came to a higher estimate than Statistics Netherlands in 2023. According to the summary by Transgender Netwerk, Rutgers estimates the number of transgender people at 2.2 percent of the population, with a large part of that group not identifying exclusively as male or female. Transgender Netwerk also mentions that in a factsheet about the 2023 Sexual Health Monitor, 1.4 percent of participants identified as transgender or non-binary.
The difference is often in the definitions. Do you only count binary trans men and trans women? Do you also include non-binary people? Do you count people who are questioning? Do you only count people who use the word transgender for themselves, or also people who experience gender incongruence but do not use a label?
That is why it is more honest to say this: reliable Dutch studies place the number of transgender and gender diverse people roughly around 1 to just over 2 percent, depending on the definition and method used.
And worldwide?
Worldwide, there is no reliable total number. Not every country measures gender identity. In some countries, it is unsafe to be open. In other countries, the right answer options do not exist in official research. As a result, many people remain invisible in the statistics.
What we do see is that studies in countries where gender identity is measured more carefully often come out in a similar range. In the United States, the Williams Institute estimated in 2025 that around 2.8 million people aged 13 and older are transgender. That is about 1 percent of that age group. Among adults it was 0.8 percent, and among young people aged 13 to 17 it was 3.3 percent.
In England and Wales, the 2021 census showed that 0.5 percent of the population aged 16 and older said their gender identity was different from the sex they were registered as at birth. There too, the result strongly depends on how the question was asked and who felt safe enough to answer.
Why does it seem like there are more transgender people now?
Many people wonder whether there are really more transgender people now than in the past. The most level-headed answer is: more people now have the words, space and safety to recognise themselves and speak about it.
You can see the same thing in other groups within the LGBTQIA community. When stigma decreases, people become more visible. That does not mean they did not exist before. It means they were counted less often, were less often able to be open or did not recognise themselves as quickly in the language that was available.
For many trans people, that feels familiar. Maybe as a child you already knew something did not feel right, but you had no words for it. Maybe you thought everyone felt uncomfortable in certain clothes, with certain forms of address or with the body others expected you to have. Only later do you come across language that fits. To the outside world, that can make you seem “new”, while for you it may finally start to make sense.
Who was the first transgender person?
The search question who was the first transgender person sounds simple, but historically it is difficult. Transgender is a modern word. People who lived outside expected gender roles existed long before that word did. In many cultures and time periods, there were people who lived as a different gender than the sex their surroundings assigned to them.
When people ask about the first known transgender person in modern medical history, Dora Richter and Lili Elbe are often mentioned. Dora Richter was a German trans woman who was connected to the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. She is often mentioned as one of the first known people to undergo gender-affirming surgeries, including vaginoplasty in 1931.
Lili Elbe became more widely known through art, literature and film. She also underwent gender-affirming surgeries in the early 1930s and is often mentioned as one of the first well-known trans women to go through a medical transition.
But it is important to say this carefully. They were not the first trans people to exist. They are mainly among the first people whose medical and personal history has been partly preserved in sources. Many trans people from earlier times were never recorded, were described incorrectly or were deliberately erased from history.
Why statistics matter
Statistics can feel distant, especially when they are about your life. Still, they matter. They make it visible that transgender people exist in numbers that policy, healthcare, education and workplaces need to take seriously.
If you are not counted, you are easier to ignore. Then gender-affirming care can be treated as a niche. Then safe clothing, such as binders, tucking underwear or packer underwear, can seem like an exception. Then it can look as if schools and employers do not need clear agreements about names, pronouns, changing rooms or forms.
Statistics also help correct misunderstandings. Trans people are not suddenly “everywhere” because it is a trend. They are more visible because there is more language, more research and more community. That difference matters.
How do you use statistics about trans people safely?
Statistics are useful, but they should not be used to judge someone’s identity. Nobody has to fit within a percentage to be taken seriously. You also do not have to prove that you are “trans enough” because a study uses a certain definition.
It is better to use statistics as background. They can help in a conversation with parents, school, work or healthcare providers. For example, you can explain that Statistics Netherlands estimates the number of transgender people in the Netherlands at 151,000, and that Rutgers finds higher numbers depending on the definition. That helps show that this is not a rare or made-up subject.
At the same time, your own safety still matters. You do not have to share statistics everywhere if they can be used against you. You do not have to educate everyone. Sometimes it is enough to know: I am not the only one, and what I feel has language, history and community.
Practical recognition in everyday life
Being trans is not only about statistics, medical steps or big words. It often shows up in everyday things. The name that feels better. The clothes that make you stand a little straighter. The way your body is visible, or less visible. The calm you can feel when something finally feels right.
For some people, a binder helps reduce chest dysphoria. For others, tucking underwear helps them feel safer in clothing. Others use packer underwear because it helps a packer stay in place and need less attention during the day. TransUndeez describes packer underwear, for example, as underwear with a built-in pouch that helps keep the packer in place.
Products like that do not make someone more or less trans. They are tools. Just as glasses help you see more clearly, gender-affirming clothing can help make the day feel a little less heavy.
Safety is still important. With binders, the right size matters, as do breaks and listening to pain or shortness of breath. Community guidelines often advise not binding for too long at a time and not wearing a binder that is too small. With tucking, it is wise to take your time, take skin irritation seriously and stop if you feel pain, numbness or problems peeing.
So behind every number is a person
So, how many people are transgender? In the Netherlands, Statistics Netherlands estimates the number at around 151,000 people aged 15 and older. Other studies come out higher, depending on the definition. Worldwide, there is no hard total, but reliable figures from different countries show that transgender and gender diverse people are clearly present.
Still, the most important thing may not be the exact percentage. The most important thing is that behind every number is a person. Someone with a body, a name, doubts, choices, boundaries, clothes, relationships, discomfort, relief and sometimes, finally, calm.
Statistics can help make people visible. They can make conversations stronger. They can improve policy and care. But your existence does not depend on a study. Whether you fit neatly within a definition or not, you do not have to make yourself smaller to be taken seriously.
You are not new. You are not alone. And you do not have to know everything all at once.