Immigration from outside EU back to pre-pandemic levels

The number of immigrants who came to the Netherlands from outside Europe increased last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Wednesday. During the first year of the pandemic, there was a sharp decline in migration. But last year, the numbers were almost the same as the year before the coronavirus pandemic.

The total number of immigrants also increased again in the past year after a significant decrease the year before. The increase was most visible in immigrants who do not come from the European Union or EFTA. The latter category consists of countries that fall under the European Free Trade Agreement but do not belong to the EU. These are Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland.

The increase in immigrants from outside the EU is mainly explained by the ongoing unrest in Syria and Afghanistan. Compared to 2020, the number of asylum seekers rose by almost 75 percent last year.

In 2020, immigration was very limited due to coronavirus-related entry bans and travel restrictions. In 2021, approximately 37,000 more immigrants came to the Netherlands than the year before. About 30,000 of them came from outside Europe.