Demographics of the Netherlands

Demographics of the Netherlands
Population of Netherlands (1900-2000) in millions.
Population	17,000,000 (64th)
Density	501 per km² (30th)
Growth rate	0.39% (189th)
Birth rate	10.3 births/1,000 (161st)
Death rate	8.78 deaths/1,000 (77th)
Life expectancy	79.55 years (34th)
• male	76.94 years
• female	82.30 years
Fertility rate	1.653 children/woman (2015)
Age structure
0–14 years	17.4%
15–64 years	67.7%
65 and over	14.9%
Sex ratio
Total	0.98 male/female
At birth	1.05 male/female
Under 15	1.05 male/female
15–64 years	1.02 male/female
65 and over	0.75 male/female
Nationality
Nationality	Dutch
Major ethnic	Dutch 79.3%
Minor ethnic	EU 6.3% Turks 2.4% Indonesian Dutch 2.3% Moroccans 2.2% Surinamese 2.1% Caribbeans 0.9% Chinese 0.3% Iraqis 0.3% Other 3.9%
Language
Official	Dutch, Frisian

This article is about the demographic of the Netherlands, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the population, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population size

The Netherlands is the 64th most populated country in the world, and as of March 21, 2016, it has a population of 17,000,000.

Between 1900 and 1950 the population doubled from 5.1 to 10.0 million people. From 1951 to 2000 the population increased from 10.0 to 15.9 million people, increasing by a smaller proportion.^[1]

Population density per province in 2006

The Netherlands is the twenty-seventh most densely populated country in the world. The 17,000,000^[2] Dutch men, women and children are concentrated on an area of 41,526 km²;^[3] this means that the country has a population density of 409 per km², or over 502 per km² if only the land area, 33,883 km²,^[3] is counted. If only the land area of the provinces, 33,718 km², is counted, 500 inhabitants/km² were reached in the first half of 2014 or possibly in the last few days of 2013.

Bangladesh and South Korea are larger and more densely populated (hence have a larger population), and only Taiwan is smaller and has a larger population (hence a larger population density). There are 21 more countries (12 independent ones and 9 dependent territories) with a larger population density, but they all have a smaller population (hence a smaller area). If the water area is not counted then Taiwan is larger, and there are 16 more countries (9 independent ones and 7 dependent territories) with a larger population density.

As a result of these demographic characteristics the Netherlands has had to plan its land use strictly. Since 1946 the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment has been occupied with the national coordination of land use. Because of its high population density the Netherlands has also reclaimed land from the sea by poldering. Between 1927 and 1968 an entire province, Flevoland was created. It currently (2015) houses more than 400,000 people. Because of these policies, the Dutch have been able to combine high levels of population density with extremely high levels of agricultural production.

Even though the Netherlands is so densely populated, it has no cities with a population over 1 million. Instead, the "four big cities" (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) can in many ways be regarded as a single metropolitan area, the Randstad ("rim city" or "edge city") with about 7 million inhabitants around an agricultural "green heart" (het Groene Hart).

Births and deaths

Dutch population pyramid
(in % of total population)

%	Male	Age	Female	%
0.36		85+		1.05
0.60		80-84		1.18
1.14		75-79		1.74
1.55		70-74		1.95
1.93		65-69		2.13
2.30		60-64		2.33
2.77		55-59		2.69
3.73		50-54		3.60
3.65		45-49		3.54
3.93		40-44		3.81
4.27		35-39		4.08
4.25		30-34		4.05
3.63		25-29		3.54
3.04		20-24		2.93
2.96		15-19		2.83
3.11		10-14		2.97
3.20		05-09		3.06
3.11		00-04		2.98
Data: International Data Base (2000)

The Dutch population is ageing. Furthermore, life expectancy has increased because of developments in medicine, and in addition to this, the Netherlands has seen increasing immigration. Despite these developments combined with the population boom after the Second World War, the low birth rate has caused extremely low population growth: 2005 saw the lowest absolute population growth since 1900.

This demographic development has consequences for health care and social security policy. As the Dutch population ages, the proportion of people of working age, as a percentage of the entire population, decreases. Important policy advisors like the CBS (Statistical Office) and the CPB (Planning Office) have pointed out that this will cause problems with the current system of old age pensions: fewer people will work to pay for old age pensions, while there will be more people receiving those pensions. Furthermore, the costs of health care are also projected to increase. These developments have caused several cabinets, most notably the recent second Balkenende cabinet to reform the system of health care and social security to increase participation in the labour market and make people more conscious of the money they spend on health care.

In 2003, the annual birth rate per thousand was highest in the province of Flevoland (15.9). The overall lifelong Total fertility rate (TFR), was highest in the province of Flevoland (2.0) and lowest in the province of Limburg (1.6). The municipality with the highest TFR was Urk (3.23) followed by Valkenburg (2.83), Graafstroom (2.79) and Staphorst (2.76). The lowest TFRs were recorded in Vaals (1.11) and Thorn (1.21).^[5]

The total population at December 31, 2006 was 16,356,914. The population loss due to net emigration was 35,502 (an estimated 40-50% of emigrants were ethnic non-Dutch).

In 2007, there were 117,000 immigrants (including 7000 Germans, 6000 Poles, 5000 Bulgarians, 3000 Turks and 2000 Moroccans) and 123,000 emigrants. Nearly half the emigrants were native Dutch, followed at a distance by nearly 5000 Poles and more than 3000 Germans. There was an observable increase in net immigration from the former USSR, Bulgaria and Romania.^[6]

The annual death rate was lowest in the municipalities of Valkenburg (2.9 per 1000), Zeewolde (3.2), Renswoude (3.4), Westervoort and Zeevang (both 3.9). The highest annual death rates were recorded in Warmond (22.3 per 1000), Laren (19.9) and Doorn (18.8).^[7]

16.4% of the total births in 2003 were to parents of non-European origin, although they account for only 12.4% of the population in the 25-34 age group. For example, 3.8% of the births were ethnic Moroccan, although they were only 2.26% of the 25-34 age group. Respective figures were 3.27% and 3.0% for Turks. The TFR for Moroccans in 2003 was 3.3 while the general TFR was 1.73. TFR was 2.3 for Turks, 1.7 for Surinamese, 1.8 for Arubans, 3.0 for Africans and 1.8 for Latin Americans.^[8] (These figures compare with a figure of around 2.1 required to maintain a stable overall population figure.)

According to Statistics Netherlands, for the year 2007, the TFR for those born in Netherlands was 1.72^[9] (1.65 in 2000). TFR of Moroccan immigrants was 2.87 (3.22 in 2000) and that of Turkish immigrants was 1.88 (2.18 in 2000).^[10]

Vital statistics

The following table presents the evolution since 1900, click on "show" to display the table:^[11]

	Average population (x 1000)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate	Infant mortality rate (per 1000 births)	Life expectancy males	Life expectancy females
1900	5 142	162 611	92 043	70 568	31.6	17.9	13.7	4.45	155.2
1901	5 221	168 380	89 967	78 413	32.3	17.2	15.0	4.53	149.3
1902	5 305	168 728	86 248	82 480	31.8	16.3	15.5	4.46	129.9
1903	5 389	170 108	83 933	86 175	31.6	15.6	16.0	4.42	135.1
1904	5 470	171 495	87 091	84 404	31.4	15.9	15.4	4.38	136.9
1905	5 551	170 767	85 016	85 751	30.8	15.3	15.4	4.29	130.9
1906	5 632	170 952	83 259	87 693	30.4	14.8	15.6	4.23	127.1
1907	5 710	171 506	82 250	89 256	30.0	14.4	15.6	4.18	111.9
1908	5 786	171 861	86 936	84 925	29.7	15.0	14.7	4.13	124.8
1909	5 862	170 766	80 283	90 483	29.1	13.7	15.4	4.04	99.1
1910	5 899	168 894	79 984	88 910	28.6	13.6	15.1	3.94	107.9
1911	5 976	166 527	86 786	79 741	27.9	14.5	13.3	3.81	137.2
1912	6 054	170 269	74 647	95 622	28.1	12.3	15.8	3.84	87.0
1913	6 145	173 541	75 867	97 674	28.2	12.3	15.9	3.85	91.4
1914	6 251	176 831	77 739	99 092	28.3	12.4	15.9	3.86	94.8
1915	6 364	167 426	79 613	87 813	26.3	12.5	13.8	3.59	86.8
1916	6 480	172 572	84 024	88 548	26.6	13.0	13.7	3.64	84.5
1917	6 612	173 112	87 273	85 839	26.2	13.2	13.0	3.59	86.8
1918	6 705	167 636	115 440	52 196	25.0	17.2	7.8	3.47	103.9
1919	6 752	164 447	89 646	74 801	24.4	13.3	11.1	3.36	94.0
1920	6 820	192 987	81 525	111 462	28.3	12.0	16.3	3.89	83.3
1921	6 921	189 546	77 002	112 544	27.4	11.1	16.3	3.75	86.1
1922	7 032	181 886	80 381	101 505	25.9	11.4	14.4	3.54	77.6
1923	7 150	187 512	72 809	114 703	26.2	10.2	16.0	3.55	66.8
1924	7 264	182 430	71 167	111 263	25.1	9.8	15.3	3.39	60.6
1925	7 366	178 545	72 121	106 424	24.2	9.8	14.4	3.26	58.4
1926	7 472	177 498	73 357	104 141	23.8	9.8	13.9	3.18	61.1
1927	7 576	175 098	77 614	97 484	23.1	10.2	12.9	3.08	58.7
1928	7 678	179 028	73 816	105 212	23.3	9.6	13.7	3.09	52.3
1929	7 781	177 216	83 224	93 992	22.8	10.7	12.1	3.00	59.0
1930	7 884	182 310	71 682	110 628	23.1	9.1	14.0	3.03	50.9
1931	7 999	177 387	77 048	100 339	22.2	9.6	12.5	2.88	49.6
1932	8 122	178 525	73 059	105 466	22.0	9.0	13.0	2.83	46.3
1933	8 237	171 289	72 096	99 193	20.8	8.8	12.0	2.66	43.9
1934	8 341	172 214	70 164	102 050	20.6	8.4	12.2	2.63	42.6
1935	8 433	170 425	73 660	96 765	20.2	8.7	11.5	2.57	40.0
1936	8 516	171 675	73 923	97 752	20.2	8.7	11.5	2.51	38.9
1937	8 598	170 220	75 516	94 704	19.8	8.8	11.0	2.53	38.1
1938	8 684	178 422	77 043	101 379	20.5	8.9	11.7	2.63	36.5
1939	8 781	180 917	75 841	105 076	20.6	8.6	12.0	2.64	33.7
1940	8 879	184 846	87 722	97 124	20.8	9.9	10.9	2.67	39.1
1941	8 965	181 959	89 716	92 243	20.3	10.0	10.3	2.61	43.6
1942	9 042	189 975	76 040	113 935	21.0	8.4	12.6	2.71	39.5
1943	9 102	209 379	91 438	117 941	23.0	10.0	13.0	2.98	40.1
1944	9 174	219 946	108 087	111 859	24.0	11.8	12.2	3.13	46.3
1945	9 262	209 607	141 398	68 209	22.6	15.3	7.4	2.96	79.7
1946	9 423	284 456	80 151	204 305	30.2	8.5	21.7	3.97	38.7
1947	9 629	267 348	77 646	189 702	27.8	8.1	19.7	3.70	33.5
1948	9 800	247 923	72 459	175 464	25.3	7.4	17.9	3.41	29.3
1949	9 956	236 177	81 077	155 100	23.7	8.1	15.6	3.22	26.8
1950	10 114	229 718	75 929	153 789	22.7	7.5	15.2	3.10	26.7	70.3	72.6
1951	10 264	228 405	77 560	150 845	22.3	7.6	14.7	3.05	26.7	70.2	72.8
1952	10 382	231 888	76 346	155 542	22.3	7.4	15.0	3.09	24.1	71.0	73.3
1953	10 493	227 964	80 901	147 063	21.7	7.7	14.0	3.03	23.7	70.4	73.0
1954	10 615	228 173	79 623	148 550	21.5	7.5	14.0	3.03	22.6	71.0	73.8
1955	10 751	229 222	81 708	147 514	21.3	7.6	13.7	3.03	21.6	70.9	71.4
1956	10 889	231 492	84 809	146 683	21.3	7.8	13.5	3.05	20.2	71.0	74.1
1957	11 021	233 892	82 961	150 931	21.2	7.5	13.7	3.08	18.4	71.4	74.6
1958	11 186	236 859	84 491	152 368	21.2	7.6	13.6	3.11	18.5	71.5	74.8
1959	11 346	242 518	86 072	156 446	21.4	7.6	13.8	3.17	18.1	71.2	75.2
1960	11 480	239 128	87 825	151 303	20.8	7.7	13.2	3.12	17.9	71.4	75.3
1961	11 637	247 407	88 321	159 086	21.3	7.6	13.7	3.22	17.0	71.5	75.7
1962	11 890	246 150	93 969	152 181	20.7	7.9	12.8	3.18	17.0	71.0	75.6
1963	12 042	249 879	95 734	154 145	20.8	8.0	12.8	3.19	15.8	71.0	75.8
1964	12 212	250 914	93 437	157 477	20.5	7.7	12.9	3.17	14.8	71.3	76.3
1965	12 377	245 216	98 026	147 190	19.8	7.9	11.9	3.04	14.4	71.1	76.1
1966	12 535	239 611	100 516	139 095	19.1	8.0	11.1	2.90	14.7	71.0	76.1
1967	12 597	238 678	99 792	138 886	18.9	7.9	11.0	2.81	13.4	71.2	76.6
1968	12 725	237 112	104 989	132 123	18.6	8.3	10.4	2.72	13.6	70.9	76.4
1969	12 958	247 588	107 615	139 973	19.1	8.3	10.8	2.75	13.2	70.9	76.3
1970	13 032	238 912	109 619	129 293	18.3	8.4	9.9	2.57	12.7	70.8	76.5
1971	13 266	227 180	110 243	116 937	17.1	8.3	8.8	2.36	12.1	71.0	76.8
1972	13 330	214 133	113 576	100 557	16.1	8.5	7.5	2.15	11.7	70.8	76.5
1973	13 438	194 993	110 682	84 311	14.5	8.2	6.3	1.90	11.5	71.3	77.1
1974	13 541	185 982	109 250	76 732	13.7	8.1	5.7	1.77	11.3	71.6	77.6
1975	13 653	177 876	113 737	64 139	13.0	8.3	4.7	1.66	10.6	71.5	77.7
1976	13 770	177 090	114 454	62 636	12.9	8.3	4.5	1.63	10.7	71.5	77.9
1977	13 853	173 296	110 093	63 203	12.5	7.9	4.6	1.58	9.5	72.1	78.5
1978	13 937	175 550	114 415	61 135	12.6	8.2	4.4	1.58	9.6	72.0	78.5
1979	14 030	174 979	112 565	62 414	12.5	8.0	4.4	1.56	8.7	72.5	78.9
1980	14 144	181 294	114 279	67 015	12.8	8.1	4.7	1.60	8.6	72.5	79.2
1981	14 246	178 569	115 515	63 054	12.5	8.1	4.4	1.56	8.3	72.7	79.3
1982	14 310	172 071	117 264	54 807	12.0	8.2	3.8	1.50	8.3	72.8	79.4
1983	14 362	170 246	117 761	52 485	11.9	8.2	3.7	1.47	8.4	72.9	79.6
1984	14 420	174 436	119 812	54 624	12.1	8.3	3.8	1.49	8.3	73.0	79.7
1985	14 484	178 136	122 704	55 432	12.3	8.5	3.8	1.51	8.0	73.1	79.7
1986	14 564	184 513	125 307	59 206	12.7	8.6	4.1	1.55	7.7	73.1	79.6
1987	14 665	186 667	122 199	64 468	12.7	8.3	4.4	1.56	7.6	73.5	80.1
1988	14 758	186 647	124 163	62 484	12.6	8.4	4.2	1.55	6.8	73.7	80.2
1989	14 849	188 979	128 905	60 086	12.7	8.7	4.0	1.55	6.8	73.7	79.9
1990	14 951	197 965	128 824	69 115	13.2	8.6	4.6	1.62	7.1	73.8	80.1
1991	15 070	198 665	129 958	68 707	13.2	8.6	4.6	1.61	6.5	74.1	80.2
1992	15 184	196 734	129 887	66 847	13.0	8.6	4.4	1.59	6.3	74.3	80.3
1993	15 290	195 748	137 795	57 953	12.8	9.0	3.8	1.57	6.3	74.0	80.0
1994	15 383	195 611	133 471	62 140	12.7	8.7	4.0	1.57	5.6	74.6	80.3
1995	15 459	190 513	135 675	54 838	12.3	8.8	3.5	1.531	5.5	74.6	80.4
1996	15 528	189 521	137 561	51 960	12.2	8.9	3.3	1.529	5.7	74.7	80.4
1997	15 611	192 443	135 783	56 660	12.3	8.7	3.6	1.562	5.0	75.2	80.6
1998	15 706	199 412	137 968	61 444	12.7	8.8	3.9	1.628	5.2	75.2	80.7
1999	15 812	200 445	140 487	59 958	12.7	8.9	3.8	1.652	5.2	75.3	80.5
2000	15 924	206 619	140 527	66 092	13.0	8.8	4.2	1.723	5.1	75.5	80.6
2001	16 044	202 603	140 377	62 226	12.6	8.7	3.9	1.710	5.4	75.8	80.7
2002	16 149	202 083	142 355	59 728	12.5	8.8	3.7	1.731	5.0	76.0	80.7
2003	16 225	200 297	141 936	58 361	12.3	8.7	3.6	1.747	4.8	76.2	80.9
2004	16 282	194 007	136 553	57 454	11.9	8.4	3.5	1.726	4.4	76.9	81.4
2005	16 320	187 910	136 402	51 508	11.5	8.4	3.2	1.708	4.9	77.2	81.6
2006	16 346	185 057	135 372	49 685	11.3	8.3	3.0	1.720	4.4	77.6	81.9
2007	16 382	181 336	133 022	48 314	11.1	8.1	2.9	1.718	4.1	78.0	82.3
2008	16 446	184 634	135 136	49 498	11.2	8.2	3.0	1.773	3.8	78.3	82.3
2009	16 530	184 915	134 235	50 680	11.2	8.1	3.1	1.790	3.8	78.5	82.7
2010	16 615	184 397	136 058	48 339	11.1	8.2	2.9	1.796	3.8	78.8	82.7
2011	16 693	180 060	135 741	44 319	10.8	8.1	2.7	1.759	3.6	79.2	82.8
2012	16 754	175 959	140 813	35 146	10.5	8.4	2.1	1.723	3.7	79.1	82.8
2013	16 803	171 341	141 245	30 096	10.2	8.4	1.8	1.679	3.8	79.4	83.0
2014	16 865	175 181	139 073	35 434	10.3	8.2	2.1	1.713		79.9	83.3
2015		169 965	147 000	23 000	10.0	8.7	1.4	1.653		79.7	83.0

Migration and ethnicity

According to Eurostat, in 2010 there were 1.8 million foreign-born residents in the Netherlands, corresponding to 11.1% of the total population. Of these, 1.4 million (8.5%) were born outside the EU and 0.428 million (2.6%) were born in another EU Member State.^[12]

As the result of immigration, the Netherlands has a sizeable minority of non-indigenous peoples. There is also considerable emigration. In 2005 some 121,000 people left the country, while 94,000 entered it. Out of a total of 101,150 people immigrating to Netherlands in 2006, 66,658 were from Europe, Oceania, the Americas or Japan, and 34,492 were from other (mostly developing) countries. Out of a total of 132,470 emigrants, 94,834 were going to Europe, Oceania, the Americas or Japan and 37,636 to other countries.^[13]

A large number of immigrants come from countries in Western Europe, mostly from the bordering countries of Germany and Belgium. There were five subsequent waves of immigration from other countries in recent history.

1. In the late 1940s and the 1950s, following the end of the Second World War, people from the newly independent Indonesian republic repatriated or migrated to the Netherlands - mainly Indo-European (people of mixed European and Indonesian ancestry with Dutch passports) and supporters of the Republic of South Maluku.
2. In the 1960s and 1970s migrants from Southern Europe (i.e. Italy, Portugal and Spain), Turkey and Morocco came to work in the Netherlands as guest workers. They were expected to return to their own country and many did, but others remained and in the 1980s and 1990s were joined by their families. Until the 2000s their children usually married people from their home country.
3. In the 1970s and 1980s people migrated from the newly independent Suriname and from the Netherlands Antilles, which remained part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. These people migrated because these people still held a Dutch passport and saw a better future in the Netherlands.
4. In the 1990s the Netherlands saw increasing migration of asylum seekers. Most notably are Iraqis, Iranians, Thais, Burmese and Chileans fleeing from political oppression and/or persecution.
5. And in the 2000s, migrant workers from new EU member states in Central- and Eastern Europe like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, and non-EU states Moldova, Ukraine and the former Yugoslavia.

Illegal immigration in the Netherlands results in automatic deportation.^[14] Many Dutch provinces now have quotas for deporting illegal immigrants.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Recent developments

With the enlargement of the European Union during the 2000s, the Netherlands has seen a rise of migrants coming from new member countries. Migrant workers from these countries total about 100,000 as of 2007.^[19] Legal migrants from new EU-member states doubled between 2007 and 2011 to 200,000,^[20] with estimates totaling up to 300,000. Of the Poles who initially moved in 2004, about a quarter had returned by 2006.^[21]

As of January 01:^[22]

Ethnic Group	2015	2014	2013	2012	2010	2009
Dutch (& Frisians)	13 235 405 (78,31%)	13 234 545 (78,64%)	13 236 494 (78,89%)	13 236 618 (79,12%)	13 215 458 (79,72%)	13 196 916 (80,05%)
Turkish (& Kurdish)	396 555 (2,35%)	396 414 (2,36%)	392 923 (2,34%)	392 923 (2,35%)	384 164 (2,32%)	378 400 (2,30%)
Moroccan (& Berber)	380 755 (2,25%)	374 996 (2,23%)	368 838 (2,20%)	362 954 (2,17%)	349 270 (2,11%)	341 640 (2,07%)
Indo (& Moluccans)	369 661 (2,19%)	372 233 (2,21%)	374 847 (2,23%)	377 618 (2,26%)	382 319 (2,31%)	384 553 (2,33%)
Germans	364 125 (2,15%)	368 512 (2,19%)	?	?	379 017 (2,29%)	379 518 (2,30%)
Surinamese	348 662 (2,06%)	348 291 (2,07%)	344 734 (2,05%)	344 734 (2,06%)	342 016 (2,06%)	338 519 (2,05%)
Caribbean people	148 926 (0,88%)	146 855 (0,87%)	145 499 (0,87%)	143 992 (0,86%)	138 113 (0,83%)	134 486 (0,82%)
Polish	137 794 (0,82%)	?	?	?	?	69 115 (0,42%)
Belgians	115 687 (0,68%)	?	?	?	?	112 529 (0,68%)
Former Yugoslavs	83 261 (0,49%)	?	?	?	?	77 995 (0,47%)
British	82 879 (0,49%)	?	?	?	?	77 733 (0,47%)
Former Soviet Union	76 102 (0,45%)	?	?	?	?	52 563 (0,32%)
Chinese	66 088 (0,39%)	?	?	?	?	50 681 (0,31%)
Iraqi	?	?	?	?	?	49 234 (0,30%)
Afghani	?	?	?	?	?	37 739 (0,23%)
Iranian (Persians)	?	?	?	?	?	30 617 (0,19%)
Somali	?	?	?	?	?	21 753 (0,13%)
Vietnamese	?	?	?	?	?	18 913 (0,11%)
Pakistani	?	?	?	?	?	18 636 (0,11%)
Others	1 094 826 (6,48%)	1 587 433 (9,43%)	1 437 462 (8,57%)	1 437 462 (8,59%)	1 387 255 (8,37%)	715 055 (4,34%)
Total	16 900 726	16 829 289	16 779 575	16 730 348	16 577 612	16 486 587

Emigration

The Netherlands has seen considerable emigration. In the 1950s 560,000 people migrated to the United States, South Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, leaving their war-torn and overpopulated home country behind. At least 60,000 of these migrants were Indo-European (mixed Dutch-Indonesian) repatriants that moved on, mostly to the United States, after being repatriated to the Netherlands from the former Dutch East Indies during and after the Indonesian revolution.

In 2005 some 121,000 people migrated from the Netherlands. There is considerable migration towards neighbouring states, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom and to the Netherlands Antilles. Furthermore, almost half of the current emigration consists of people returning to their country of birth, including rejected asylum seekers, after the more stringent migration laws were implemented.

The remigration or return migration from the Netherlands.^[23]

Religion

According to the CIA World Factbook,^[3] as of 2006 the religious makeup of the Netherlands was 24% Roman Catholic (as of 2011), 13% Dutch Reformed, 7% Calvinist, 5.5% Muslim, 5.8% other and 41% none. However, according to a survey^[24] done in 2006, 25% of the Dutch people are Christian, 5% adhere to another organised religion (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism etc.), 26% are 'unbounded spiritual' (individual spiritual beliefs, agnostics, etc.), 26% are non-religious (moderate) humanist and the remaining 18% are non-religious non-humanist.

Language

The main language is Dutch, while West Frisian is also a recognized language and it is used by the government in the province of Fryslân. Several dialects of Low Saxon (Nedersaksisch in Dutch) are spoken in much of the north and east and are recognized by the Netherlands as regional languages according to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Another Dutch dialect granted the status of regional language is Limburgish, which is spoken in the south-eastern province of Limburg. Major immigrant languages are Turkish, Arabic and Berber.

See also

• Dutch people
• Islam in the Netherlands
• Immigration to Europe
• List of countries by immigrant population
• The Netherlands
• Indo people

Notes and references

1. CBS Statline - Population; history. Statistics Netherlands. Retrieved on 2009-03-08.
2. CBS - Population counter - Extra
3. "The World Factbook". cia.gov.
4. Statistics Netherlands.
5. http://www.cbs.nl/en-GB/menu/themas/bevolking/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2003/2003-1269-wm.htm
6. http://www.cbs.nl/en-GB/menu/themas/bevolking/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2008/2008-011-pb.htm
7. http://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/publicaties/periodieken/bevolkingstrends/archief/2003/2003-k3-b15-pub.htm
8. http://forum.europa.eu.int/irc/dsis/jointestatunece/info/data/paper_alders.pdf
9. http://www.cbs.nl/NR/rdonlyres/A157E464-812A-40CC-8A71-E85FDF3A16B0/0/2008k1b15p55art.pdf
10. http://paa2007.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=70869
11. CBS Statistics Netherlands
12. VASILEVA, Katya. "6.5% of the EU population are foreigners and 9.4% are born abroad (34/2011)" (PDF). Eurostat.
13. "CBS StatLine - External migration; sex, age (31 dec), marital status and country of birth". cbs.nl.
14. "Dutch float 'migrant prison' scheme". BBC. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
15. "Anti-immigrant website fans flames in the Netherlands". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
16. "Dutch Police to Scan Fingerprints in Checks for Illegal Immigrants". Voice of America. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
17. "Government gets tougher with illegal immigrants". Radio Netherlands. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
18. "Clash over illegal alien arrest quota". Radio Netherlands. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
19. "Donner: 100.000 Oost-Europeanen werken in Nederland". 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
20. "Aantal Midden- en Oost-Europeanen in vijf jaar tijd verdubbeld". CBS. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
21. "Immigratie Oost-Europeanen blijft hoog". CBS. 2007-11-28. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
22. http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/publication/?DM=SLNL&PA=37325&D1=0&D2=a&D3=0&D4=0&D5=a&D6=l&HDR=G2,G3&STB=G1,G5,T,G4&VW=T
23. See article in Turkish Review: Turkey Pulls, The Netherlands Pushes? An increasing number of Turks, the Netherlands’ largest ethnic minority, are beginning to return to Turkey, taking with them the education and skills they have acquired abroad, as the Netherlands faces challenges from economic difficulties, social tension and increasingly powerful far-right parties. At the same time Turkey’s political, social and economic conditions have been improving, making returning home all the more appealing for Turks at large. (pp.94-96).
24. Religie is niet weg, maar anders, Motivaction, 20 December 2006

External links

• CIA World Factbook data
• CBS Dutch Bureau of Statistics