Netherlands Population Statistics 2026 | Demographics & Key Facts

Netherlands Population in 2026

The Netherlands is one of Europe’s most densely settled nations, combining a compact land area with a sophisticated, highly urbanised population whose demographic trajectory now mirrors patterns seen across the broader continent — modest growth driven entirely by migration, an ageing native population, and a fertility rate well below replacement level. According to CBS (Statistics Netherlands), the country’s authoritative national statistical office and primary government data source on all population matters, the population of the Netherlands stood at 18,131,238 residents at the end of 2025, having grown by 87,211 people over the course of the year. CBS confirmed in its February 2026 official release that this represented the third consecutive year of slowing population growth, with the expansion rate falling to less than 0.05% — a dramatic deceleration from the years of annual increases exceeding 100,000, and in 2022 briefly exceeding 200,000, that had characterised the post-pandemic period.

What makes the 2026 Dutch demographic landscape especially significant is the confluence of three structural trends reaching critical thresholds simultaneously. CBS data confirms that deaths once again exceeded births in 2025, recording 173,338 deaths against 165,863 births, a negative natural balance of approximately −7,475 — meaning that for the first time in the country’s modern history, the Netherlands now has more residents aged over 65 than under 20. Population growth has therefore become entirely dependent on net migration, which delivered a net inflow of roughly 95,000 people in 2025, down from 108,000 the year before, reflecting both declining immigration and record-high emigration of nearly 212,000 people leaving the Netherlands. These trends unfold against an intensely politicised backdrop, with migration policy dominating Dutch national politics and the government identifying it as a central priority for reform heading into 2026. This article draws exclusively on verified data from CBS Statistics Netherlands, Eurostat, the OECD, and the United Nations World Population Prospects, to present an accurate, comprehensive statistical picture of the Netherlands population in 2026.

Netherlands Population Key Facts in 2026

Before exploring detailed statistical breakdowns, the following key facts establish the fundamental demographic profile that defines the Netherlands today.

NETHERLANDS POPULATION KEY FACTS SNAPSHOT — 2026
===================================================

  Population, end of 2025 (CBS official)  ████████████████████  18,131,238
  CBS 2026 medium-variant projection       ████████████████████  18.14 million
  Annual population increase 2025           ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  87,211 (+0.05%)
  Net migration 2025 (sole growth driver)    ████████████░░░░░░░░  ~95,000
  Births 2025                                  █████████████░░░░░░░  165,863
  Deaths 2025                                   █████████████░░░░░░░  173,338
  Natural balance 2025                            █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  −7,475
  Population density                                ████████████████████  547 per km²

Source: CBS (Statistics Netherlands), official population release, February 2026, as reported by NL Times and European Conservative; CBS, Population Dynamics, monthly figures 2025 (Table 83474ENG), updated April 2026; OECD, International Migration Outlook 2025: Netherlands; UN WPP 2024 Revision

The 18,131,238 figure confirmed by CBS in its February 2026 release represents both a milestone — the Netherlands clearly crossing the 18 million threshold it had approached for several years — and a cautionary signal about the fragility of that growth. The deceleration to less than 0.05% annual growth is stark in context: in 2022, the Netherlands grew by more than 220,000 people in a single year, driven by the exceptional wave of Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion. Once that surge subsided, underlying demographic trends reasserted themselves with full force, exposing the extent to which below-replacement fertility and an ageing native population have eroded the country’s capacity for natural growth.

The milestone of the Netherlands now having more residents aged over 65 than under 20, confirmed by CBS demographer Ruben van Gaalen in February 2026, has profound long-term implications for the Dutch pension and healthcare systems. The AOW state pension, a pay-as-you-go system funded by working-age contributions, faces mounting actuarial pressure as the ratio of contributors to recipients narrows. CBS’s own long-term projection under its medium variant estimates the Netherlands will reach 18.98 million by 2037, peaking near 19.69 million by 2050, before very gradual decline — but this trajectory depends critically on sustained net migration averaging around 20,000 to 30,000 per year, a figure that current political dynamics make far from guaranteed.

Netherlands Population by Age Structure in 2026

Age structure is the defining demographic challenge facing the Netherlands in 2026, with the balance between younger and older cohorts shifting in ways that will shape public expenditure, workforce dynamics, and social cohesion for decades to come.

NETHERLANDS POPULATION AGE STRUCTURE — 2026
=============================================

Age 0-24 (youth)             ████████████████░░░░  26.9%
Age 15-64 (working age)       █████████████████░░░  64.2%
Age 65+ (elderly)               ████████████░░░░░░  20.9% (~3.83 million)
Age 75+ share                     █████████░░░░░░░░░░  ~11%

Over-65 vs Under-20 (2025 CBS data):
  Over 65   ████████████████████  More numerous (first time in history)
  Under 20   ███████████████████░  Fewer (crossed threshold in 2025)

Projected share aged 65+ by 2050:  ████████████████████  27%
Projected share aged 65+ by 2070:  ████████████████████  28%

Source: CBS (Statistics Netherlands), Bevolkingsprognose 2023-2070, published December 2023; NL Times, “Dutch Population Now Tops 18.13 Million,” February 2026, citing CBS; Population Pyramids (citing UN WPP 2024); Our World in Data, Netherlands Demography Profile, citing UN WPP 2024

The crossing of the demographic threshold at which the number of Dutch residents aged over 65 exceeds those aged under 20 marks a structural shift with no historical precedent in the Netherlands. While this milestone was widely anticipated by CBS demographers tracking long-run ageing trends, its realisation in 2025 underlines how quickly the demographic centre of gravity has shifted, particularly following the fertility rate’s sustained decline from above 1.7 children per woman a decade ago to the current level of approximately 1.43 to 1.49, compounded by the passing of the large Dutch baby-boom cohort born in the late 1940s and 1950s through retirement and into the mortality-intensive elderly years.

The age dependency ratio of 54.6 dependents per 100 working-age people, calculated from the most recent UN data, captures the growing economic weight of population ageing on Dutch society. Under CBS’s Bevolkingsprognose 2023-2070 medium scenario, the share of residents aged 65 and over is projected to climb from the current 21% to 27% by 2050 and 28% by 2070, while the median age is expected to reach approximately 47 years by mid-century — a trajectory that places unprecedented demands on the Dutch pension system, healthcare infrastructure, and long-term care services, and explains why statutory retirement age reform, rising eligibility thresholds linked to life expectancy, has remained central to Dutch fiscal policy across successive governments.

Netherlands Birth Rate, Deaths and Natural Population Change in 2025

Births, deaths, and the natural balance between them define the biological dimension of Dutch demographic change, and the 2025 CBS data documents the full extent to which natural growth has effectively ceased as a meaningful contributor to Dutch population size.

NETHERLANDS BIRTHS, DEATHS & NATURAL CHANGE — 2025 CBS DATA
================================================================

Births 2025        █████████████░░░░░░░  165,863
Deaths 2025        ██████████████░░░░░░  173,338
Natural balance    ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█  −7,475 (negative)

BIRTHS TREND:
  1970 peak    ████████████████████  ~238,000
  2003 low     █████████████░░░░░░░  ~165,000
  2025         █████████████░░░░░░░  165,863 (near historic lows)

DEATHS TREND:
  2020 (pandemic)  ████████████████░░░░  ~165,000
  2025             ████████████████████  173,338 (above pandemic levels)

Natural decrease in first half 2025:  ~−5,000 (9,000 more deaths than births)

Source: CBS (Statistics Netherlands) population dynamics release, February 2026, cited in NL Times, “Dutch Population Now Tops 18.13 Million,” February 2, 2026; Our World in Data / UN WPP 2024; CBS, Population Dynamics Table 83474ENG, updated April 2026

The 165,863 births recorded in 2025 sit at near-historic lows for the Netherlands, matching the trough levels seen in the early 2000s when the previous generation’s delayed family formation pushed birth numbers to their post-war floor. CBS has indicated it expects the number of births to climb modestly in coming years, as the echo of slightly larger birth cohorts from the 1980s and 1990s works through the system, but this anticipated recovery remains modest and insufficient to restore positive natural growth given simultaneously rising death totals. The Dutch total fertility rate of approximately 1.43 to 1.49 children per woman — among the lower third of EU member states — reflects a combination of delayed family formation, rising housing costs that push back the age at which young Dutch couples feel financially ready for children, and the broader European trend of declining birth intentions among younger adults documented in successive Eurobarometer surveys.

The 173,338 deaths recorded in 2025 is particularly striking because it exceeded even the elevated death totals seen during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, a comparison that CBS demographer Ruben van Gaalen explained in February 2026 as primarily reflecting the Netherlands’ rapidly ageing population rather than any acute health crisis. As the large Dutch baby-boom cohort — born in the surge of births that followed the end of World War Two — progresses through its 70s and 80s, the annual total of deaths is structurally set to climb further through the 2030s, reinforcing the negative natural balance and making net migration an even more critical variable in determining whether Dutch population continues to grow at all.

Netherlands Immigration and Migration Statistics in 2025

Net migration is the sole engine of Dutch population growth in 2026, but the CBS data released in February 2026 reveals a migration landscape that is itself slowing and shifting, shaped by both political pressure and changing patterns of global mobility.

NETHERLANDS MIGRATION DATA — 2025 CBS OFFICIAL FIGURES
==========================================================

Immigrants (arrivals) 2025      ████████████████████  ~307,000
Emigrants (departures) 2025      ████████████████████  ~212,000 (RECORD HIGH)
Net migration 2025                 ████████████░░░░░░░░  ~95,000
Net migration 2024 (comparison)     █████████████░░░░░░░  ~108,000

NEW LONG-TERM/PERMANENT IMMIGRANTS (2024, OECD):
  Total                             █████████████░░░░░░░░  183,000 (−6.4% vs 2023)
  Free mobility (intra-EU)            ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░  47%
  Family migrants                       █████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  23%
  Humanitarian migrants                   ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  17%
  Labour migrants                           ███░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  13%

Source: NL Times, “Dutch Population Now Tops 18.13 Million — with Growth Driven by Migration,” February 2, 2026, citing CBS; OECD, “International Migration Outlook 2025: Netherlands Country Note,” November 2025; CBS, official population statement, February 2026

The record emigration of nearly 212,000 people in 2025 — the highest outflow ever recorded in Dutch history — is one of the most consequential and underreported dimensions of the Netherlands’ 2026 demographic picture. CBS data indicates that this record emigration is primarily composed of people who had themselves come to the Netherlands as immigrants — workers, students, and others completing short- or medium-term stays and returning home or moving on — rather than large-scale permanent departure of native Dutch citizens. This creates an increasingly circular migration pattern in the Netherlands: high gross inflows that produce much more modest net figures, and a resident foreign-born population that turns over rapidly rather than settling permanently at the same rate as earlier migration waves. A notable specific case is the Polish-origin population, which CBS found was in net contraction in 2025, with more people of Polish background leaving the Netherlands than arriving — a reversal of the large-scale Polish labour migration that had characterised the previous two decades.

The OECD’s breakdown of the 183,000 new long-term immigrants admitted in 2024 reveals a migration composition heavily weighted toward intra-EU free mobility (47%), reflecting the Netherlands’ deep integration into European labour markets and its continued attractiveness to workers from across the continent. However, the −6.4% decline in total admissions from 2023 to 2024, combined with the CBS-confirmed downward trend in 2025 migration volumes, suggests that the exceptional migration peaks of the early post-pandemic period are receding toward a lower equilibrium — a trajectory with direct consequences for the Dutch government’s current political debates over housing supply, integration services, and the carrying capacity of Dutch public infrastructure in a country that is already one of the most densely settled in Europe.

Netherlands Population by Ethnicity and Origin in 2025

Ethnic composition and migration background are central dimensions of Dutch demographic identity, with CBS’s official “origin” classification providing the most authoritative available breakdown of who lives in the Netherlands today.

NETHERLANDS ETHNIC COMPOSITION — 2026 ESTIMATES
===================================================

Dutch/Frisian origin       ████████████████████  ~75.4%
Other European (non-Dutch)  ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  ~6.4%
Turkish                       █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  ~2.4%
Moroccan                       █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  ~2.4%
Surinamese                      █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  ~2.1%
Indonesian                        █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  ~2.0%
Other                               ██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  ~9.3%

CBS MIGRATION BACKGROUND CLASSIFICATION (1 Jan 2025):
  Born abroad (first generation migrants)  ████████░░░░░░░░  16.8% (~3 million)
  Born in NL, parents born abroad (2nd gen) █████░░░░░░░░░░░  11.7% (~2.1 million)

Source: CBS (Statistics Netherlands), “How many residents of the Netherlands have a non-Dutch background?” Origin Dashboard, updated April 2026; World Population Review, Netherlands 2026 (citing CIA World Factbook 2021 estimates for ethnic breakdown); Migration Policy Institute, Netherlands Profile

CBS’s classification of the Dutch population by migration background — distinguishing between those born abroad (first generation), those born in the Netherlands to migrant parents (second generation), and those with purely Dutch-origin backgrounds — provides the most granular and authoritative picture of the country’s demographic diversity. The finding that 16.8% of residents (just over 3 million people) were born abroad and a further 11.7% (around 2.1 million) were born in the Netherlands to at least one migrant parent means that approximately 28.5% of all Dutch residents — roughly 1 in 3 people — have direct personal or immediate parental ties to migration, a figure that climbs even higher in major cities. CBS specifically highlights that both The Hague and Amsterdam now have their highest-ever shares of residents with non-Dutch backgrounds, with both cities having exceeded the point where people with Dutch origins constitute a minority among residents — a demographic reality that shapes everything from school composition to local political dynamics.

The Turkish and Moroccan communities, each representing approximately 2.4% of the national population, have been present in the Netherlands since the guest worker migration of the 1960s and 1970s, and are now largely represented by second and third-generation Dutch citizens rather than recent arrivals. Alongside these established communities, the Surinamese (2.1%) and Indonesian (2.0%) communities reflect the Netherlands’ colonial history with these territories, creating distinct diaspora populations whose Dutch-language fluency and pre-migration familiarity with Dutch institutions have historically supported stronger integration outcomes compared to some later-arriving groups. These layered communities, combined with the more recent wave of Polish, Ukrainian, and Asian migrants, create one of the most demographically diverse populations of any similarly-sized Western European country — a diversity that the Netherlands navigates against a backdrop of rising political pressure over migration levels and integration outcomes.

Netherlands Population by Province and Urbanisation in 2026

Geographic distribution within the Netherlands reflects the extraordinary concentration of people and economic activity in the western Randstad metropolitan zone, alongside demographically distinct patterns in the northern and southern provinces.

NETHERLANDS POPULATION BY PROVINCE — 2026
============================================

Zuid-Holland (The Hague + Rotterdam)  ████████████████████  3.85 million
Noord-Holland (Amsterdam)               ████████████████░░░░  2.98 million
Noord-Brabant                            ████████████░░░░░░░░  2.5 million (est.)
Utrecht                                    ██████████░░░░░░░░░░  1.4 million (est.)
Gelderland                                   ██████████░░░░░░░░░░  2.1 million (est.)

POPULATION DENSITY:
  National average       ████████████████████  547 per km² (24th most dense globally)
  Western provinces        ██████████████████████  1,000+ per km² (e.g. Zuid-Holland, Noord-Holland)
  Northern rural provinces  ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  Below 250 per km² (Friesland, Drenthe)

URBANISATION:
  Urban population share  ████████████████████  88.89% (Worldometers/UN WPP)

Source: World Population Clock (worldpopulationclock.net), Netherlands population by province 2026, citing CBS Statistics Netherlands 2025 estimates; Worldometers, Netherlands Population 2026, citing UN WPP 2024 Revision; CBS, Bevolkingsprognose 2023-2070 (Population Forecast 2023-2070)

The Randstad conurbation — the interconnected metropolitan ring encompassing Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht — contains roughly 8 million people, nearly 44% of the entire national population, in a country that is geographically smaller than many individual US counties. This extraordinary concentration is reflected in population density figures for Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland that exceed 1,000 people per km², making these among the most densely settled regions anywhere in Western Europe and directly driving the housing crisis that has become one of the Netherlands’ most acute domestic policy challenges, with average Amsterdam housing prices among the highest in continental Europe relative to local incomes and rental vacancy rates near historic lows.

Away from the Randstad, demographic patterns diverge sharply: the northern provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe record population densities below 250 per km² and face slower growth, older age structures, and in some rural municipalities, genuine population decline, as younger residents relocate to university cities and metropolitan employment centres. Utrecht stands out as the Netherlands’ fastest-growing province, driven by its central geographic position, strong university population, and extensive transport infrastructure, while Flevoland — the youngest province in the world in geographic terms, established on land reclaimed from the IJsselmeer only in 1986 — continues rapid growth through internal Dutch migration and family settlement. Looking ahead, CBS’s medium-variant forecast projects the Netherlands reaching 19.69 million by 2050, before a gradual long-term decline toward 17.51 million by 2100 under the UN’s medium scenario — a trajectory that places immense current-day pressure on housing supply, infrastructure investment, and migration policy as the country navigates the tension between sustaining short-term growth and managing the long-run costs of an ageing, increasingly diverse society.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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