Dutch population grows by 23,000 in the first half of 2026

The population of the Netherlands grew by 23.2 thousand people in the first half of 2026, compared with 36.8 thousand a year earlier. At the end of June, 18.15 million people lived in the country. Because deaths exceeded births by about 8.1 thousand, migration accounted for all of the growth.

Around 126 thousand people moved to the Netherlands during the six months and about 94.7 thousand left, producing net migration of about 31.3 thousand. Fewer people arrived from countries that mainly produce asylum migration, particularly Syria. At the same time, net migration from Ukraine increased.