Population of the Netherlands reaches 18 million

The number of people living in the Netherlands has risen from 17 million to 18 million in a relatively short period of time (8 years). The population grew by an average of 120 thousand inhabitants (0.7 percent) per year during that period. By contrast, it took 15 years for the population to grow from 16 million to 17 million inhabitants. During that period, it grew by an average of 66 thousand (0.4 percent) per year. In the years after World War II, the population grew even more rapidly than it is today. Between 1945 and 1970, the population expanded by almost 4 million, an average of 150 thousand (1.6 percent) per year.

Population growth mainly due to migration from other countries

In recent years, population growth has mainly been a result of net migration from other countries. In 2022 and 2023, the death rate exceeded the birth rate and so the population only grew because more migrants arrived in the country than left it. That was also the case in the first half of 2024.

Until the 1970s, the main factor driving population growth was the fact that the birth rate was higher than the death rate. Just after the Second World War, the high birth rate led to a ‘baby boom’. The birth rate declined in the 1970s: people started having children later in life, and having fewer children. But even so, the population continued to grow mainly because more children were being born than people were dying. But from that point onwards fluctuations in population growth were caused mainly by changes in the number of migrants arriving in the Netherlands every year.

Higher immigration is not just a consequence of war and unrest elsewhere in the world, as is currently the case in Syria and Ukraine. Economic disparities, the expansion of the European Union and policy decisions such as the increase in English-taught study programmes in the Netherlands have also played a role.

More people living in the Netherlands who were born abroad

Since 2016, the number of people living in the Netherlands who were born elsewhere has increased from 2.1 million (12 percent) to 2.9 million (16 percent). The number of inhabitants who were born in the Netherlands rose from 14.9 million to 15.0 million. Of those, 2.1 million had at least one parent who was born abroad in 2024. At the start of 2016, that number was 1.8 million.

The number of people with a non-Dutch background has increased (both those born in the Netherlands and those born elsewhere). In particular, there were more people from other European countries living in the Netherlands in 2024. The number of people of Asian origin has also increased relatively sharply. Between 2016 and 2024, the number of people of Ukrainian and Syrian origin increased by the most in absolute numbers between 2016 and 2024, followed by those of Polish origin. At the start of 2024, 0.7 percent of people resident in the Netherlands had Ukraine as their country of origin, 0.9 percent Syria and 1.3 percent Poland.

People of Dutch origin form the majority (72 percent), followed by people of Turkish origin (2.5 percent) and people of Moroccan origin (2.4 percent), just as in 2016. Also in the top five countries of origin are Surinam, Indonesia and Germany.

More elderly residents

The Dutch population has not only become more diverse in terms of countries of origin, but it has also become older. Compared to 2016, the proportion of the population aged under 20 has dropped and the proportion aged over 65 has grown. The share of people aged over 80 is also rising. The average age rose from 41.5 years in early 2016 to 42.6 years in early 2024.

Older people today are living longer than previous generations. As a result, and because the first post-war generation has now passed the age of 65, there are more elderly people. However, since the coronavirus pandemic the death rate has remained relatively high. Life expectancy fell in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, but has gradually increased again since then.

Meanwhile, the birth rate has been relatively low in recent years and has been falling since 2010. In 2023, 164.5 thousand children were born, which was an average of 1.43 children per woman. That is the lowest since the 1980s.