One in five people in the Netherlands avoid activities outside their homes because they fear not being able to find a public toilet, according to research by the Medical and Gastrointestinal Foundation (MDL Fonds). The organisation has described the shortage as "unacceptable" and launched a new reporting centre to document cases where people are denied access.
The foundation's research found that 85 percent of Dutch residents believe there should be more public toilets, and two in three people experience problems due to the shortage. For those with gastrointestinal conditions, stomas or liver disorders, the lack of facilities can be especially difficult.
"Access to a restroom is a basic requirement for freedom of movement," says Mariël Croon, director of MDL Fonds. "We hear about locked train toilets or facilities at stations that close after a certain time, completely overwhelming passengers. For someone with a stoma or a chronic bowel disease, this can lead to degrading situations, such as incontinence."
Reporting centre for toilet refusal
MDL Fonds has launched a reporting centre called WC Weigering (Toilet Refusal) where people can document cases of being denied access to a toilet despite having a medical need. The foundation hopes the collected stories will help push municipalities, businesses and organisations to improve accessibility.
The organisation already runs an app called WC Wijzer, which lists more than 8,000 public toilets across the Netherlands. Based on data from the app and annual surveys of all 342 Dutch municipalities, MDL Fonds ranks towns by toilet-friendliness each year.
Best and worst municipalities
Amersfoort was named the most toilet-friendly municipality in the Netherlands in November 2025, followed by Hattem and Terschelling. Amersfoort plans to add five new public toilets by mid-2026 and has made toilet accessibility part of its coalition agreement.
At the bottom of the rankings sit Baarle-Nassau, Rozendaal, Voerendaal and Waalre, all scoring zero. Baarle-Nassau and Waalre have even lost their only public toilet. Noord-Brabant ranks second to last among provinces, with only Flevoland scoring worse.
Slow progress
The foundation has been tracking toilet availability since 2020. In that time, the average score for municipalities has risen slightly from 4.5 to 4.7 out of 10, and the number of toilets listed in the app has grown from 6,600 to 8,300. But 4.7 is still a failing grade.
Political pressure appears to be key: nearly all top-ranked municipalities have seen their council push for action on the toilet shortage. The foundation recommends a standard of one toilet every 500 metres in town and city centres.
MDL Fonds has previously described the Netherlands as a "toilet desert" and notes the country lags behind other Western nations where public toilets are treated as a basic necessity.
