Dutch population now tops 18.13 million thanks to immigration; Growth slows for 3rd year

The population of the Netherlands barely grew last year, rising by less than 0.05 percent. At the end of 2025, the Netherlands had 18,131,238 residents, 87,211 more than at the start of the year. This is the third year that the population growth has been lower than the year before. The Dutch population is still growing entirely due to immigration, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS)

In recent years, the population regularly grew by over 100,000, sometimes even 200,000 people per year. The recent slowdown in growth is mainly due to a reduction in immigration and an increase in those emigrating out of the country, but more people are also dying due to the aging population.

"In 2025, nearly 307,000 people immigrated and 212,000 emigrated. This means a net increase of 95,000 people through migration, compared to 108,000 a year earlier," the CBS wrote in a statement. About 141,000 people with a European background moved to the Netherlands, down from 149,000 a year earlier. About 114,000 people with a European background moved elsewhere in 2025, roughly the same as a year earlier.

There was even a contraction in people of Polish origin, with 1,100 more moving away from the Netherlands than moving to the country. "There were also significantly fewer European migrants of Russian, Romanian, Bulgarian, and British origin."

Contrarily, there was a slight rise in net immigration by those from African countries, growing from 15,000 to 16,000. The net increase of immigrants from Asia stood at 55,000, down from 60,000 a year earlier. "This is because the number of immigrants decreased slightly while the number of emigrants increased slightly. The number of migrants from these countries decreased primarily from those of Chinese origin, followed by people from India and Iran."

Last year saw a record number of people leaving the Netherlands, with nearly 212,000 residents emigrating. According to CBS, these are mainly people who came to the country as immigrants, particularly migrant workers and international students. “The Netherlands is losing its appeal, especially for Eastern Europeans who came here to work. And there are, for example, 5,000 fewer German students on a net basis than a few years ago.”

Last year, 165,863 babies were born in the Netherlands. The number of births has been declining for years and has consistently been below 200,000 since 2003, dipping to 165,000 at its lowest point. CBS expects the Netherlands to climb out of that trough in the coming years.

The number of deaths is rising, with 173,338 people dying last year - even more than during the coronavirus pandemic years. According to CBS, the rising deaths are mostly due to the aging population. Since last year, the Netherlands has had more residents over the age of 65 than residents under 20.

The pandemic also still plays a role, CBS demographer Ruben van Gaalen told AD. “During the coronavirus years, the health of many people deteriorated; they likely account for most of those ‘extra deaths.’”

The number of emigrants is fairly easy to predict, Van Gaal told the newspaper. Immigrants are more likely to emigrate than people born in the country, so with the high number of refugees and migrant workers of recent years, this peak in emigration was expected.

Predicting immigration is more complicated. “Nobody knew in February 2022 that a war would break out in Ukraine,” Van Gaalen said as an example. After peaking at 403,108 people in 2022, immigration has decreased in recent years. Last year, 306,549 people moved to the Netherlands.