In 2020, 171.000 people without a Dutch nationality moved to the Netherlands, 44.000 fewer that in 2019. These figures were published by the national statistics office of CBS and shared in Dutch News.nl.

Of those 171.000, 108.000 were EU or EFTA members, the remaining 61.000 were from elsewhere in the world.

For the past several years, immigration to the Netherlands has been on the rise. At its peak in 2019, 215.000 people moved to the Netherlands, a mix of expatriates, students and asylum seekers. 43% of these came from Western countries, 32% came from Turkey, Morocco, the Antilles or Suriname, another 25% from other countries.

Immigration numbers have been picking up in the beginning of 2021 as borders have reopened. While the numbers in January and February were still down, in March, April and May more people moved to the Netherlands than in those months in 2020.

Currently the total population in the Netherlands is 17.5 million, with an annual rise of 13% over the past years. The largest percentage lives in the centre of the country (the Randstad) with four major cities: Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. In total 820.000 in Amsterdam, The Hague 515.000, Rotterdam 625.000, Utrecht 360.000.

With the continuous rise of the population, there unfortunately s a shortage of housing and prices are rising enormously.  The Dutch news published that in 2013, purchase properties were 70% cheaper than today!

At Expat Management Group we assist with settling in throughout the Netherlands, as our local Field consultants also live and work in the more remote areas. Most newly arriving international choose for rental properties. These give more flexibility and prices have not risen to the same level as purchase properties. Depending on the area, these are more or less available, but we always manage to find a great place for a reasonable price!