Over 745 thousand from other EU countries live in the Netherlands

Younger than average

Non-Dutch EU nationals resident in the Netherlands have a younger average age than residents with Dutch nationality. They are more likely to be aged between 20 and 50, and fewer of them are older than 50. This applies to both women and men. Among migrants from other EU countries, work is the main reason for coming to the Netherlands, followed by study and joining other members of their family.

Relatively large number of EU migrants in Luxembourg

Within the European Union, Luxembourg is the country with the highest proportion of EU nationals from other EU countries. In 2023, 37 percent of Luxembourg’s residents held an EU nationality other than that of Luxembourg. It is a relatively small country and is also home to a number of European institutions. The Netherlands ranked ninth in the EU, with 4 percent of the population holding an EU nationality other than Dutch.

Poland, Romania and the Baltic states of Lithuania and Latvia have the lowest share of residents from other EU countries. However, a relatively large number of people who hold Polish and Romanian nationality live in other EU countries.

A quarter of EU migrants resident in the Netherlands are Polish

More than a quarter of the non-Dutch EU nationals living in the Netherlands are Polish. They are the largest group, followed by Germans, at 11 percent. More people with other EU nationalities were living in the Netherlands at the start of 2024 than ten years earlier. The number of Polish people has increased, in particular, followed by Bulgarians and Romanians. Since the EU was enlarged to include first Poland (in 2004), then Romania and Bulgaria (in 2007) and finally Croatia (in 2013), the number of migrants from these countries has increased. EU citizens have the right to move freely between EU member states, and do not require a permit to work in the Netherlands.