Migration between the Netherlands and the UK has dropped sharply since Brexit

Fewer British citizens have moved to the Netherlands since Brexit in 2020. Since then, there have also been fewer British citizens that have returned to the UK from the Netherlands. The number of Dutch citizens moving to the UK has also dropped since they left the European Union, Statistics Netherlands reports.

Up to 2019, the number of Brits moving to the Netherlands was rising. Around 6,500 British citizens moved there in 2019, compared with 3,000 in 2024. Meanwhile, approximately 3,000 British citizens returned to the UK in 2019, decreasing to just over 2,200 in 2024.

Nearly 6,000 people born outside the Netherlands or the UK moved from the UK to the Netherlands in 2019, but by 2024 that number had fallen to just over 3,000. The majority were Polish, Indian, or Somali. Conversely, a significant number of Indians, Somalians, and Ukrainians moved from the Netherlands to the UK.

The drop in migration between the Netherlands and the UK reflects a wider trend. In 2024, 314,000 people moved to the Netherlands, 22,000 fewer than in 2023, while 205,000 left the country, 7,000 more than the previous year. The combination of lower immigration and higher emigration brought population growth down to 103,000, well below the 132,000 increase recorded in 2023.

This trend is also evident in the UK. Migration of EU nationals to the United Kingdom has been declining since 2019. By 2024, the EU-27 recorded a positive migration balance with the UK, meaning nearly 100,000 more EU citizens left the UK than moved there. In contrast, in 2015, nearly 290,000 EU citizens settled in the UK on a net basis.