More deaths than births: Natural population growth in Netherlands increasingly negative

The difference between births and deaths increased further in the first half of 2025, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. From January to June, nearly 81,000 children were born, and over 89,500 people died. This means that there were almost 9,000 more deaths than births. Last year, the difference was almost 7,000 in the same period.

Due to the aging population, the Dutch population has been growing slowly through migration for several years. In the first six months of this year, the number of Netherlands residents grew by almost 37,000 people, slightly less than in the same period last year.

According to CBS, the number of migrants from other EU countries coming to the Netherlands decreased again in the first half of this year. The number of migrants from Poland and Bulgaria declined in particular. In two years, Poland’s net migration - the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants - decreased from 4,000 to zero, according to the statistics agency. The number of refugees from Ukraine also decreased.

The number of migrants from outside Europe, particularly those from Asia, increased in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. Most came from Syria, amounting to approximately 15,500 people in the first half of the year.