More NL residents leaving Randstad for smaller town life

More and more Netherlands residents are leaving the Randstad to live elsewhere in the country. Last year, just over 75,000 people moved from the Randstad to a municipality outside it. That is the highest annual number since the turn of the century. In particular, people over the age of 30 are leaving the west, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

According to Statistics Netherlands, the migration from the Randstad has been increasing since 2014. In that year, just over 48,000 Randstad residents moved to a municipality elsewhere in the country. By 2020, that number had grown to about 70,000, and last year it increased further.

At the same time, the annual number of Netherlands residents who move to the Randstad remained fairly stable at around 55,000. On balance, more people have left the urban area than moved there every year since 2017, said CBS.

People aged 30 and older, in particular, are leaving the Randstad. On the other hand, people in their twenties tend to move there more often. The latter mainly happens due to study or work.

Municipalities close to the Randstad area are particularly popular destinations for people moving away from the Randstad. Nijkerk (Gelderland), Noord-Beveland (Zeeland), and Culemborg (Gelderland) ahd the highest “relative balance” with the Randstad last year. That means that relatively more people moved there from the Randstad than the other way around.

Even though many people move away from the Randstad, the cities are not emptying out. Population growth and migration from abroad mean the Randstad population continues to grow.