Today, we delve into the intriguing topic of the Netherlands population.
Population of the Netherlands: 2022-2023
In 2023, the Netherlands recorded a population of 17,618,299, marking a 0.31% rise compared to the previous year. The population in 2022 stood at 17,564,014, reflecting a 0.36% growth from the figures reported in 2021.
Population of the Netherlands: density, growth rate
The population density in the Netherlands is 522 individuals per square kilometer (1,353 people per square mile). The population of the Netherlands is increasing at a rate of approximately 0.5% per year.
Netherlands population by age
Currently, approximately 15.42 percent of the Netherlands' population falls within the 0-14 age category, while 64.26 percent belongs to the 15-64 age group. Additionally, 20.31 percent of the population is aged 65 and above.
Netherlands population by religion
In the demographic landscape of the Netherlands, the distribution of religious affiliations is as follows: a majority of 57.2% identify with no religion, followed by 18.2% as Catholic, 13.2% as Protestant, 5.6% practicing Islam, and 5.9% adhering to various other religions.
Muslim population in the Netherlands
The origins of Islam in the Netherlands trace back to the 16th century when a limited number of Ottoman merchants established themselves in the nation's port cities. The early 17th century saw the construction of improvised mosques in Amsterdam. Over the following centuries, sporadic Muslim immigration occurred from the Dutch East Indies, particularly during the period when the region was part of Dutch overseas possessions. Despite having the world's second-largest Muslim population during its time as the Dutch East Indies, the number of Muslims in the European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands remained very low, constituting less than 0.1% of the population.
The economic revival of the Netherlands between 1960 and 1973 prompted the Dutch government to actively recruit skilled laborers from predominantly Muslim countries such as Morocco and Turkey. Subsequent waves of Muslim immigrants arrived through family reunification and asylum seeking. Additionally, small but noteworthy Muslim communities immigrated from former colonies like Indonesia and Suriname.
The economic revival of the Netherlands between 1960 and 1973 prompted the Dutch government to actively recruit skilled laborers from predominantly Muslim countries such as Morocco and Turkey. Subsequent waves of Muslim immigrants arrived through family reunification and asylum seeking. Additionally, small but noteworthy Muslim communities immigrated from former colonies like Indonesia and Suriname.
Jewish population in the Netherlands
The history of Jews in the Netherlands primarily begins in the late 16th and 17th centuries, as Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain settled in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities, attracted by the country's unique religious tolerance. Unlike Ashkenazi Jews in central Europe, these Portuguese Jews, having lived without rabbinic authority for years, needed formal instruction in Jewish beliefs. Seventeenth-century Amsterdam earned the moniker "Dutch Jerusalem" due to its significance as a hub of Jewish life. In the mid-17th century, Ashkenazi Jews from central and eastern Europe also migrated, seeking religious freedom and economic opportunities in the Netherlands, a major global trade center.
Historically part of the Spanish Empire, the Northern Dutch provinces declared independence from Catholic Spain in 1581, driven by a desire to practice Protestant Christianity forbidden under Spanish rule. The newly independent state prioritized religious tolerance, fostering an environment where Jews could openly practice their faith in organized communities. The Portuguese Jewish community, initially strong, declined after conflicts with England in the late 17th century, while the Ashkenazi population flourished and has remained dominant.
After the Dutch Republic, the Batavian Republic emancipated Jews in 1796, granting them full citizenship. Under Napoleon Bonaparte's monarchy, King Louis Napoleon stripped Jewish communal leaders of disciplinary powers, making them state functionaries.
During World War II, the Holocaust in the Netherlands was devastating, with about 75 percent of the Jewish population deported to concentration and extermination camps, including Anne Frank's family. Post-war, the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam, housed in a former synagogue, preserves a significant collection documenting Jewish history in the Netherlands.
Historically part of the Spanish Empire, the Northern Dutch provinces declared independence from Catholic Spain in 1581, driven by a desire to practice Protestant Christianity forbidden under Spanish rule. The newly independent state prioritized religious tolerance, fostering an environment where Jews could openly practice their faith in organized communities. The Portuguese Jewish community, initially strong, declined after conflicts with England in the late 17th century, while the Ashkenazi population flourished and has remained dominant.
After the Dutch Republic, the Batavian Republic emancipated Jews in 1796, granting them full citizenship. Under Napoleon Bonaparte's monarchy, King Louis Napoleon stripped Jewish communal leaders of disciplinary powers, making them state functionaries.
During World War II, the Holocaust in the Netherlands was devastating, with about 75 percent of the Jewish population deported to concentration and extermination camps, including Anne Frank's family. Post-war, the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam, housed in a former synagogue, preserves a significant collection documenting Jewish history in the Netherlands.
Immigrant population in the Netherlands
As of January 1, 2022, approximately 15 percent of the Dutch population was born in a foreign country, and an additional nearly 12 percent had at least one parent born abroad. Out of the total population of 17.56 million in the Netherlands on January 1, 2022, 2.56 million individuals were born abroad as migrants. The remaining 15.0 million residents were born in the Netherlands, including 2.0 million belonging to the second generation – individuals born in the Netherlands with one or both parents born abroad. Among the second generation, approximately 1.1 million have one foreign-born and one Netherlands-born parent, while just under 910 thousand have both parents born abroad.
Asian population in the Netherlands
As of 2019, Statistics Netherlands reported that 969,980 individuals in the Netherlands have an Asian migration background, with an additional 217,767 expatriates from Asia residing in the country.
At the close of 2011, the Chinese community was identified as the fifth-largest non-Western immigrant group in the Netherlands. Approximately 77,000 of them originated from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, while an additional 25,000 came from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Suriname. Many individuals within these groups migrated to the Netherlands for employment, family formation, and reunification. Among them are "knowledge migrants" who arrived for educational purposes, contributing to a pool of highly skilled workers. The Chinese population predominantly resides in major Dutch cities. In 2008, 37 percent of those who arrived in the Netherlands before 2000 lived in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, and Arnhem, though this group represented only 15 percent of the entire Dutch population.
At the close of 2011, the Chinese community was identified as the fifth-largest non-Western immigrant group in the Netherlands. Approximately 77,000 of them originated from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, while an additional 25,000 came from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Suriname. Many individuals within these groups migrated to the Netherlands for employment, family formation, and reunification. Among them are "knowledge migrants" who arrived for educational purposes, contributing to a pool of highly skilled workers. The Chinese population predominantly resides in major Dutch cities. In 2008, 37 percent of those who arrived in the Netherlands before 2000 lived in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, and Arnhem, though this group represented only 15 percent of the entire Dutch population.
Black population in the Netherlands
Afro-Dutch or Black Dutch individuals in the Netherlands are residents with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The primary population of Afro-Dutch individuals in the continental Netherlands originates from former and current Dutch overseas territories, specifically Suriname and the former Netherlands Antilles, which includes Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Of the estimated 500,000 Afro-Dutch people, around 300,000 individuals, or 60%, come from these territories. Additionally, there is a notable presence of Cape Verdean, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Somali, Angolan, and other African communities consisting of more recent immigrants.
The majority of Afro-Dutch migration to the Netherlands occurred from the 1970s onward. Most recent migrants arrived either as political refugees seeking freedom or, more frequently, to escape regional conflicts, such as those in Eritrea.
As of May 2022, the reported population of people with African ancestry in the Netherlands was 749,780.
The majority of Afro-Dutch migration to the Netherlands occurred from the 1970s onward. Most recent migrants arrived either as political refugees seeking freedom or, more frequently, to escape regional conflicts, such as those in Eritrea.
As of May 2022, the reported population of people with African ancestry in the Netherlands was 749,780.
Moroccan population in Netherlands
Moroccans in the Netherlands, also referred to as Dutch-Moroccans, are Dutch citizens with Moroccan origins, constituting the second-largest ethnic group in the country. This community includes immigrants from Morocco and their descendants.
In the initial postwar migration wave to the Netherlands from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, Moroccans were not prominently represented, as this period mostly involved individuals from the Netherlands' former colonies. However, Moroccans began migrating in larger numbers during the second wave, with one hundred thousand Turks and Moroccans arriving between 1965 and 1973, and an additional 170,000 from 1974 to 1986. The earlier arrivals were often classified as "guest workers," governed by a bilateral treaty signed in 1969. Subsequently, family reunification schemes played a more significant role in migration patterns, with around half of the Moroccans originating from the Rif region.
According to The Netherlands Institute for Social Research's annual report, marriages between Moroccan immigrants and native Dutch individuals were rare in 2001, accounting for only 5% of unions. The majority of marriages (90%) were within the same ethnic group, and two-thirds of the spouses were "marriage migrants" from the country of origin. Since the adoption of stricter legislation in 2004, marriage immigration has significantly decreased.
In the initial postwar migration wave to the Netherlands from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, Moroccans were not prominently represented, as this period mostly involved individuals from the Netherlands' former colonies. However, Moroccans began migrating in larger numbers during the second wave, with one hundred thousand Turks and Moroccans arriving between 1965 and 1973, and an additional 170,000 from 1974 to 1986. The earlier arrivals were often classified as "guest workers," governed by a bilateral treaty signed in 1969. Subsequently, family reunification schemes played a more significant role in migration patterns, with around half of the Moroccans originating from the Rif region.
According to The Netherlands Institute for Social Research's annual report, marriages between Moroccan immigrants and native Dutch individuals were rare in 2001, accounting for only 5% of unions. The majority of marriages (90%) were within the same ethnic group, and two-thirds of the spouses were "marriage migrants" from the country of origin. Since the adoption of stricter legislation in 2004, marriage immigration has significantly decreased.
Netherlands cities by population
Amsterdam leads as the most populous city in the Netherlands with a population of 741,636, followed by Rotterdam with 598,199 residents. The Hague ranks third with 474,292 inhabitants, and Utrecht follows closely with 290,529 people. Eindhoven, Tilburg, and Groningen have populations of 209,620, 199,613, and 181,194, respectively. Almere Stad has 176,432 residents, while Breda and Nijmegen complete the list with populations of 167,673 and 158,732.
