Dutch population growing more slowly than last year due to lower immigration

The Netherlands population grew by 85,300 people in the first three quarters of 2024. That is much slower than in the same period last year when the population grew by almost 108,900 people, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. The lower population growth is mostly due to fewer immigrants coming to the Netherlands. The number of immigrants from other EU countries fell in particular. At the end of September, the Netherlands had 18.03 million inhabitants.

In the first nine months of this year, 243,000 people settled in the Netherlands and 154,000 moved abroad. The migration balance, immigration minus emigration, amounted to 89,000 - over 20,000 lower than in the same period of 2023. There were 18,000 fewer immigrants and 4,000 more emigrants.

Population growth was entirely due to migration. Natural population growth has been negative in the Netherlands since last year, with more people dying than babies being born. In the first three quarters of 2024, over 128,000 people died and almost 125,000 babies were born. Natural population growth was therefore -3,000. “Natural growth became more negative in 2024 because mortality increased further. This can be attributed to the aging population.”

On balance, most immigrants came to the Netherlands from Asia in the first nine months of 2024. The number of Sirians and Iraqis - mostly asylum seekers - increased compared to a year earlier. The number of immigrants from India, mostly migrant workers, decreased sharply.

“The most striking change compared to 2023 concerns the migration of people from Europe,” CBS said. “The migration balance with other European countries of origin decreased by over a third.” Fewer immigrants from Ukraine and Russia came to the Netherlands. There were also fewer people from other EU countries, while more emigrated out of the Netherlands.

People migrate within the EU mainly for work, study, or family. The Netherlands has had a positive migration balance with almost all EU countries in recent years, meaning that immigration was higher than emigration. In the first nine months of this year, the Netherlands’ migration balance of EU citizens was +17,000. “In recent years, the positive migration has fallen sharply because immigration decreased and emigration increased,” CBS said. Last year, the EU migration balance was +28,000, and in 2022, it was +35,000.