Over 1 in 3 young Ukrainian refugees are in education

Children on their way to school
© CBS
A total of 36 percent of Ukrainian refugees aged 15-22 in the Netherlands were in education on 1 October 2023. The majority of 15 and 16-year-olds are in secondary education. Among those aged 17 and above, fewer attend school and those in this age group are more likely to be in work. This is according to research by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, many Ukrainians have fled their homeland. On 1 October 2023, there were 98 thousand Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands. Of these, nearly 30 thousand were aged between 4 and 22 years. In this age group, 19.7 thousand were in education in the Netherlands. More than half (53 percent) were in primary education and 41 percent were in secondary education. Among children aged 4 to 16, 92 percent were attending school.

The older the refugees, the less likely they are to be in school or education. Among 17 to 22-year-olds, 21 percent were in education. A total of 800 refugees were attending a college (HBO) or university, 230 were in secondary vocational education (MBO) and 80 were in adult education.

Young Ukrainian refugees, 1 October 2023
LeeftijdIn education (% )In work and in education (% )In work (% )Not in work or in education (% )
4 years74.70025.3
5 years92.9007.1
6 years92.9007.1
7 years92.8007.2
8 years92.9007.1
9 years94.7005.3
10 years92.8007.2
11 years94.4005.6
12 years92.9007.1
13 years92.01.306.6
14 years88.94.50.16.5
15 years81.212.60.16.1
16 years66.920.32.310.5
17 years48.323.39.019.3
18 years22.19.537.231.2
19 years7.23.550.938.4
20 years3.42.057.037.6
21 years2.11.461.734.9
22 years1.60.564.733.1

2 in 3 young Ukrainians live with their parents

On 1 October 2023, 63 percent of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands aged 4 to 22 were living with one or both of their parents. That is a total of 18.9 thousand refugees. Among Ukrainian refugees aged 16 and under, this share was 85 percent. Most Ukrainian refugees aged 18 and older live independently. Some Ukrainian refugees live in a different type of household, such as with a relative other than their parent(s) or with a foster family.

Living situation of young Ukrainian refugees, 1 October 2023
LeeftijdLiving with both parents (%)Living with one parent (%)Living independently (%)Other (%)
4 years49.037.1013.9
5 years48.138.7013.1
6 years46.240.7013.1
7 years44.144.1011.8
8 years42.644.8012.6
9 years39.946.3013.7
10 years40.446.5013.1
11 years39.846.2014.0
12 years35.849.9014.3
13 years35.151.1013.9
14 years31.952.40.415.4
15 years30.053.12.614.2
16 years30.846.911.011.3
17 years20.341.129.39.4
18 years10.226.551.112.2
19 years8.716.860.614.0
20 years4.96.371.817.0
21 years3.06.572.418.1
22 years2.84.772.520.0

Ukrainian young people live all across the Netherlands

The provinces of Drenthe, Groningen and Zeeland have the most young Ukrainian refugees per thousand young people aged 4 to 22, in relative terms. This number is the highest in the municipalities of Beek (Limburg) and Pekela (Groningen), with 51 and 45 young Ukrainians per one thousand young people, respectively. These municipalities both have large reception locations for Ukrainian refugees. There were fewer young Ukrainian refugees living in the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland, in relative terms.

Ukrainian refugees aged 4-22 years, 1 October 2023
GemeentenaamStatcode
Aa en Hunze21
Aalsmeer13
Aalten4
Achtkarspelen6
Alblasserdam13
Albrandswaard7
Alkmaar8
Almelo11
Almere9
Alphen aan den Rijn7
Alphen-Chaam7
Altena7
Ameland5
Amersfoort4
Amstelveen9
Amsterdam7
Apeldoorn9
Arnhem9
Assen13
Asten6
Baarle-Nassau13
Baarn6
Barendrecht3
Barneveld8
Beek (L.)51
Beekdaelen6
Beesel7
Berg en Dal17
Bergeijk8
Bergen (L.)3
Bergen (NH.)18
Bergen op Zoom8
Berkelland8
Bernheze7
Best8
Beuningen14
Beverwijk5
Bladel5
Blaricum31
Bloemendaal12
Bodegraven-Reeuwijk14
Boekel14
Borger-Odoorn11
Borne18
Borsele10
Boxtel8
Breda7
Bronckhorst10
Brummen9
Brunssum8
Bunnik8
Bunschoten5
Buren14
Capelle aan den IJssel6
Castricum3
Coevorden10
Cranendonck4
Culemborg1
Dalfsen14
Dantumadiel8
De Bilt7
De Fryske Marren7
De Ronde Venen7
De Wolden6
Delft5
Den Helder6
Deurne5
Deventer9
Diemen11
Dijk en Waard8
Dinkelland9
Doesburg9
Doetinchem8
Dongen5
Dordrecht12
Drechterland12
Drimmelen7
Dronten6
Druten9
Duiven7
Echt-Susteren7
Edam-Volendam11
Ede4
Eemnes15
Eemsdelta8
Eersel11
Eijsden-Margraten7
Eindhoven7
Elburg13
Emmen9
Enkhuizen11
Enschede7
Epe9
Ermelo9
Etten-Leur6
Geertruidenberg9
Geldrop-Mierlo10
Gemert-Bakel8
Gennep35
Gilze en Rijen1
Goeree-Overflakkee10
Goes12
Goirle2
Gooise Meren12
Gorinchem9
Gouda6
Groningen (gemeente)7
Gulpen-Wittem14
Haaksbergen7
Haarlem7
Haarlemmermeer6
Halderberge11
Hardenberg3
Harderwijk3
Hardinxveld-Giessendam9
Harlingen10
Hattem8
Heemskerk8
Heemstede6
Heerde14
Heerenveen8
Heerlen3
Heeze-Leende4
Heiloo3
Hellendoorn8
Helmond9
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht4
Hengelo (O.)8
Het Hogeland7
Heumen10
Heusden12
Hillegom11
Hilvarenbeek8
Hilversum18
Hoeksche Waard7
Hof van Twente12
Hollands Kroon9
Hoogeveen11
Hoorn5
Horst aan de Maas9
Houten5
Huizen15
Hulst9
IJsselstein4
Kaag en Braassem10
Kampen11
Kapelle10
Katwijk6
Kerkrade9
Koggenland14
Krimpen aan den IJssel4
Krimpenerwaard8
Laarbeek7
Land van Cuijk10
Landgraaf8
Landsmeer7
Lansingerland3
Laren (NH.)1
Leeuwarden8
Leiden8
Leiderdorp7
Leidschendam-Voorburg8
Lelystad6
Leudal5
Leusden13
Lingewaard7
Lisse11
Lochem10
Loon op Zand3
Lopik9
Losser5
Maasdriel23
Maasgouw10
Maashorst6
Maassluis5
Maastricht6
Medemblik9
Meerssen14
Meierijstad9
Meppel12
Middelburg (Z.)7
Midden-Delfland1
Midden-Drenthe13
Midden-Groningen11
Moerdijk12
Molenlanden11
Montferland13
Montfoort13
Mook en Middelaar16
Neder-Betuwe10
Nederweert12
Nieuwegein5
Nieuwkoop9
Nijkerk7
Nijmegen6
Nissewaard4
Noardeast-Fryslân6
Noord-Beveland28
Noordenveld9
Noordoostpolder9
Noordwijk12
Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten8
Nunspeet14
Oegstgeest9
Oirschot3
Oisterwijk13
Oldambt9
Oldebroek13
Oldenzaal6
Olst-Wijhe10
Ommen18
Oost Gelre4
Oosterhout9
Ooststellingwerf9
Oostzaan3
Opmeer6
Opsterland9
Oss5
Oude IJsselstreek6
Ouder-Amstel20
Oudewater11
Overbetuwe5
Papendrecht1
Peel en Maas16
Pekela45
Pijnacker-Nootdorp5
Purmerend9
Putten6
Raalte11
Reimerswaal11
Renkum6
Renswoude31
Reusel-De Mierden9
Rheden9
Rhenen7
Ridderkerk6
Rijssen-Holten7
Rijswijk (ZH.)7
Roerdalen8
Roermond11
Roosendaal5
Rotterdam5
Rozendaal35
Rucphen1
Schagen8
Scherpenzeel6
Schiedam5
Schiermonnikoog21
Schouwen-Duiveland19
's-Gravenhage (gemeente)8
's-Hertogenbosch9
Simpelveld2
Sint-Michielsgestel1
Sittard-Geleen6
Sliedrecht13
Sluis16
Smallingerland10
Soest5
Someren7
Son en Breugel12
Stadskanaal11
Staphorst12
Stede Broec8
Steenbergen6
Steenwijkerland13
Stein (L.)5
Stichtse Vecht8
S+A19dwest-Fryslân11
Terneuzen7
Terschelling18
Texel22
Teylingen7
Tholen14
Tiel6
Tilburg6
Tubbergen7
Twenterand5
Tynaarlo8
Tytsjerksteradiel9
Uitgeest2
Uithoorn7
Urk4
Utrecht (gemeente)5
Utrechtse Heuvelrug5
Vaals19
Valkenburg aan de Geul22
Valkenswaard6
Veendam7
Veenendaal5
Veere17
Veldhoven3
Velsen5
Venlo9
Venray7
Vijfheerenlanden5
Vlaardingen26
Vlissingen10
Voerendaal8
Voorne aan Zee7
Voorschoten7
Voorst5
Vught7
Waadhoeke8
Waalre1
Waalwijk11
Waddinxveen10
Wageningen5
Wassenaar7
Waterland21
Weert14
West Betuwe11
West Maas en Waal17
Westerkwartier10
Westerveld8
Westervoort5
Westerwolde15
Westland12
Weststellingwerf6
Wierden9
Wijchen7
Wijdemeren6
Wijk bij Duurstede4
Winterswijk10
Woensdrecht8
Woerden7
Wormerland11
Woudenberg18
Zaanstad5
Zaltbommel8
Zandvoort17
Zeewolde5
Zeist5
Zevenaar7
Zoetermeer5
Zoeterwoude8
Zuidplas8
Zundert5
Zutphen5
Zwartewaterland10
Zwijndrecht6
Zwolle7

Because it is possible that some Ukrainian refugees may have left the Netherlands without officially deregistering as residents, this estimate of the number of Ukrainian refugees currently in the Netherlands may be an overestimate, and the percentage in employment may therefore be an underestimate.