The Poverty Monitor has appeared periodically since 1997 as a joint publication of the Social and Cultural Planning Office of the Netherlands (scp) and Statistics Netherlands (cbs). This series of publications presents a picture of poverty in the Netherlands based on representative national data. In addition to key figures on the extent of and trend in poverty in the Netherlands, each edition of the Poverty Monitor focuses on a number of specific topics, such as the geographical distribution of poverty, the poverty risk of members of ethnic minorities, the spending patterns of households with a low income compared with the spending patterns of other households, and social exclusion. The Dutch presidency of the European Union is a suitable moment to make the most important elements from the Poverty Monitor accessible to an international readership. This publication, compiled on the basis of the most interesting contributions from various volumes of the Poverty Monitor, serves this function. The Poor Side of the Netherlands is aimed at both policymakers and researchers, as well as those with a general interest in the issue of poverty. The original texts can be found on the scp website at www.scp.nl. An English-language summary of each edition of the Poverty Monitor can also be found on this site