Statistics show a decrease of 17 percent in immigrants coming to the Netherlands

Over 330,000 immigrants arrived in the Netherlands in 2023. This is a decrease of 17 percent compared to the year before. As was the case in other years, a majority of those who relocated to the Netherlands did so for work, education, or for love. A relatively small number arrived requesting asylum, the outgoing Cabinet reported in the Staat van Migratie, an update on the immigration situation in the Netherlands that was sent to the Tweede Kamer and the Eerste Kamer, the lower and upper houses of Parliament.

The overall decrease was slightly offset by an increase in people seeking asylum in the Netherlands. Over 38,000 people submitted their first request for asylum in 2023, which is eight percent more than the year before.

An additional 10,130 people requested asylum after a family member previously arrived in the country. That figure was down by about seven percent. All told, some 50,720 filed a request for asylum last year, an increase of about three percent.

Over a million people submitted their first request for asylum in the European Union last year. This mainly included citizens from Syria (17 percent), Afghanistan (10 percent) and Turkey (9 percent).

A third of all asylum requests were made in Germany, which represents more than any other EU country. Spain (15 percent) and France (14 percent) followed far behind. About four percent of all EU asylum seekers submitted their first request in the Netherlands.

The immigration figures also showed that the number of Ukrainian refugees received in the Netherlands rose from 91,000 to 110,000 people. They temporarily do not have to apply for asylum upon arrival as they have a right to immediate refugee status and residency due to their country's war with Russia.

They also have a right to medical care, and children can enter primary and secondary school education. The European Union has made a special arrangement for this, which applies to all Member States.

The EU ministers representing their country's asylum and immigration issues met in Luxembourg this week, and voted to extend this arrangement until March 4, 2026.