Four out of five Turks and Moroccans marry within their own circles

In 2010 some 34.5 thousand citizens with a foreign background married in the Netherlands. A quarter of these newly weds had a Turkish or Moroccan background. Most married a partner from the same origin. In one out of ten marriages the partner migrated to the Netherlands to get married.

One out of ten is a migration marriage

One out of ten marriages between people with a foreign background is a migration marriage, for which the partner migrates to the Netherlands. In 2010 this share was about the same as in the previous years. After a decrease at the start of the century, the share of migration marriages hovered around 10 percent since 2006.

In recent years one in five Turks and Moroccans who married in the Netherlands have married someone who especially immigrated to get married. At the start of the century this was true for more than half. In 2010 there were 970 Turkish and 870 Moroccan migration marriages.

Share of migration marriages by group of origin

Most Turks and Moroccans marry someone from the same background

Although the share of migration marriages for citizend fom a Turkish and Moroccan background has fallen substantially since the start of the century, over 80 percent marry a partner with the same background. Most partners were already living in the Netherlands. Only a small section of the Turkish and Moroccan citizens married someone with a native Dutch or different background.

Citizens from other groups of origin were much more likely to marry someone with a native Dutch background. In 2010 three out of ten people with a Surinamese background and four in ten with an Antillean background did.

Choice of marriage partner in 2010

Migration marriages mainly among the first generation

The share of migration marriages among the first generation is much higher than among the second. In 2010 27 percent of the marriages of first generation Moroccans citizens of the Netherlands was a migration marriage versus 10 percent of second generation marriages. The share of migration marriages for second generation Turkish citizens is slightly higher at 16 percent. The share for the first generation is almost identical.

Choice of marriage partner among Moroccans married in 2010

Elma Wobma and Mila van Huis