Most house moves within the same province

In the Netherlands over 600 thousand people moved to another municipality in 2000. Most of these internal migrants – nearly 60% - remained in the same province.

House moves within and between provinces, 2000

House moves in South Holland and Limburg stay nearest

Relatively many people who moved house in South Holland and Limburg - about 70 percent – stayed within the provincial boundaries. Moreover, many people who moved out of South-Holland went to a neighbouring province, only 7% moved to a province that did not border on South Holland. A study by the national planning authority revealed that many people like living in the Randstad region (the urbanised area in the west of the Netherlands) and are not very inclined to leave this part of the country.

In Flevoland fewest people moved to another municipality. Only 20% of residents in this province who moved to a different municipality remained within Flevoland. This is a relatively young province with many newcomers who arrive from outside the province, often from neighbouring provinces. Nearly half of internal migrants who arrived in Flevoland, for example came from North Holland, mainly from Amsterdam.

Drift to the east

Migration is most common among people aged 18-40 years and their reasons for moving are most likely to be education, labour or housing. Two-thirds of all internal migrants in 2000 were in this age category. On balance they moved from the north (provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe) and settled mainly in the east of the Netherlands (Overijssel, Flevoland and Gelderland). Older people are more likely to leave the busiest areas in the west of the country and settle in the east.

Han Nicolaas