Higher population growth due to increased immigration in the first quarter

Population growth due to immigration

The population increase in the first three months of this year was entirely due to external migration. A total of 87.6 thousand immigrants settled here, while 35.0 thousand emigrants left. A total of 52,600 new inhabitants were added due to external migration. It was still 15.6 thousand in the same quarter a year earlier. Even when immigrants from Ukraine (25,100) are not counted, this is a relatively high immigration. The total number of arrivals from other countries was 1.1 thousand higher than in 2019. Immigration hit a record high that year.

No natural increase

In the first quarter, no inhabitants were added due to natural increase: there were more deaths (43,100) than births (40,300). Natural population growth has been negative in every first quarter for the past five years. During these periods, relatively few children are born, while mortality tends to be higher in winter than at other times of the year.

Natural growth was also negative in the first quarter of 2021; although the number of births was relatively high (42,200), the number of deaths was higher (45,000). The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic ended during this first quarter.

Mainly more non-EU immigrants

In the first quarter, more immigrants from outside the European Union settled in the Netherlands compared to the same period last year. They included 25.1 thousand immigrants from Ukraine and 32.3 thousand from other countries. This is not only more than the same period last year (22.1 thousand), but also more than at the peak of 2019 (29.7 thousand). There were more immigrants from Asia in particular.

Not only was immigration higher than in 2021, but more emigrants also left. Their number has grown less rapidly than the number of immigrants. In particular, emigrants born in the Netherlands or in an EU country were more numerous. The number of non-EU emigrants was lower than in the same period last year.

After migrants from countries of the former Soviet Union, Syrians formed the second largest group, followed by Turks and Indians. Overall, these groups were responsible for the largest increase in population. Poland took fifth place in the first quarter.