The population of the Netherlands has surpassed the 18 million mark, eight years on from the country’s population topping 17 million, in 2016.
The population increase was largely driven by net migration from other countries, including emigrants from Ukraine and Syria, the data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) showed.
Over the past eight years, the population of the Netherlands has grown by an average of 120,000 per year, a faster rate than in previous years – it took 15 years for the population to go from 15 million to 16 million inhabitants, CBS noted.
Effect of migration
Migration is having a more pronounced effect on population growth in the Netherlands than the birth rate – in both 2022 and 2023, the death rate exceeded the birth rate, with the population only increasing because more migrants arrived in the country than left it.
This was also the case in the first half of 2024, CBS noted.
As of 2024, approximately 16% of the Dutch population was born outside the Netherlands, compared to 12% in 2016, with significant growth in residents from other European countries, as well as Asia, particularly from Ukraine, Syria, and Poland.
Aging population
The Dutch population is also aging, the data showed. The proportion of residents over 65 has grown, while the share of those under 20 has declined.
The average age in the Netherlands increased from 41.5 years in 2016 to 42.6 years in 2024, reflecting longer life expectancy and an aging population.
At the same time, the birth rate has continued to fall, reaching a low of 1.43 children per woman in 2023, the lowest since the 1980s.
Other recent findings by Statistics Netherlands reveal that approximately 7% of young people in the Netherlands aged 15 to 24 have never had a paid job. In 2023, around 1.7 million young people in this age group were employed, while 510,000 were not working.
Among the 7% who never had a job, the highest proportion was among 15-year-olds. Of those classified as unemployed within this age group, 20% had never been employed. Additionally, 40% of those not actively seeking work or not immediately available for employment have never held a job.
