Netherlands population growth picking up again

After stagnating somewhat in coronavirus-year 2020, the Netherlands' population growth picked up again in the first half of 2021. More children were born in the first six months of this year, and fewer people emigrated out of the Netherlands. The growth is still well behind pre-pandemic 2019, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday.

In the first half of this year, the population of the Netherlands grew by 31,700 people. On balance, almost 29,000 people joined the Netherlands population through migration, and almost 2,400 as the result of natural growth - the number of births minus the number of deaths.

In the same period last year, the population grew by only 18,200. The coronavirus pandemic and first lockdown resulted in more deaths and fewer immigrants in the second quarter of last year. In the first half of 2019, the population grew by a massive 45,800.

In the first six months of 2021, a total of 86,200 children were born in the Netherlands, 4,500 more than the same period last year. The birth rate was particularly high in February, March and April, the stats office said. The increase in births partly compensated for the still high mortality. 83,800 people died in the first half of this year, 2,400 less than in the same period last year, but 6,600 more than in the same period of 2019.

On balance, 2,400 more children were born than people died. In the first six months of last year, the natural growth was negative with 4,600 more people dying than children were born.

In the first half of this year, almost 92,800 immigrants registered with a Dutch municipality, 2,100 more than in the first half of 2020, but 20,700 less than in the same period of 2019. The number of people who emigrated abroad from the Netherlands was smaller than in the first half of 2020 - 63,400 compared to 67,900. Emigration is also still well below 2019, when 72,600 people moved away from the Netherlands in the first six months.

As more people moved to the Netherlands than left, the Netherlands population grew by almost 29 thousand people through migration in the first half of this year. In the first half of 2019, that number was 40,800.