Background It is not clear whether recent increases in life expectancy are accompanied by a concurrent postponement of activity limitations. The objective of this study was to give best estimates of the trend in the prevalence of activity limitations among the non-institutionalized population aged 55–84 years over the period 1990–2007 in The Netherlands. Methods We examined self-reports on 12 measures of moderate or severe activity limitations in stair climbing, walking and getting dressed as assessed by OECD long-term disability questionnaire or Short Form-36 (SF-36) items, using original data from five population-based cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys ( n = 54 847 respondents). To account for heterogeneity between surveys, we used meta-analyses to study time trends. Results Time trends of 10 out of the 12 activity limitation variables studied were stable. The prevalence of at least moderate activity limitations in stair climbing [odds ratio (OR) = 1.03)] and getting dressed (OR = 1.04) based on OECD items increased over the study period. Age- and gender-stratified time trend analyses showed consistent patterns. Conclusions No declines were observed in the prevalence of activity limitations in the Dutch older population over the period 1990–2007. The increase in life expectancy in this period is accompanied by a stable prevalence of most activity limitations.