More cross-border commuters from Germany and Belgium in 2023

© Tineke Dijkstra

Erratum:

This news release originally included two incorrect figures due to a rounding error. The original version stated that there were nearly 90 thousand cross-border commuters in 2023, and a difference of 3 thousand compared to the year before. The correct figures are 89 thousand, with a difference of 2 thousand. This has now been rectified.
In 2023, close to 89 thousand people worked in the Netherlands while living across the border in a neighbouring country: 44 thousand people in Belgium and 45 thousand in Germany. That was over 2 thousand more than the year before. Of these cross-border commuters, approximately six out of ten worked in Limburg or Noord-Brabant, according to the new figures by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Various figures regarding the border regions of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany can be found in the Portaal Grensdata (Portal for Border Data). This article focuses specifically on incoming commuters: those who live in Germany or Belgium and work in the Netherlands. The number of commuters from Germany and Belgium has increased over the last ten years. In 2013, there were 39 thousand cross-border commuters from Belgium, and 41 thousand from Germany.

 

At least half of cross-border commuters from Belgium are Dutch nationals

Some of those travelling from Germany and Belgium to work in the Netherlands are Dutch nationals: 54 percent of cross-border commuters from Belgium and 37 percent from Germany. Among cross-border commuters from Belgium, 35 percent were Belgian nationals, while 28 percent of commuters from Germany were German nationals and 19 percent were Polish.

Many people commute between Belgium and South Limburg

Over 75 percent of commuters living in the Belgian border region worked in Limburg and Noord-Brabant. Within these provinces, the largest number of commuters from Belgium worked in South Limburg (12 thousand). Another area with a high number of commuters from Belgium (10 thousand) was the south-east of Noord-Brabant, including its largest city Eindhoven. Outside the border regions, there were roughly 4 thousand commuters from Belgium working in the greater Rijnmond (Rotterdam) and Amsterdam areas, as well as in Utrecht.

Many people commute from Germany to North Limburg

Cross-border commuters from Germany mainly worked in the provinces of Limburg, Gelderland, Overijssel, and to a lesser extent in Noord-Brabant. Looking by region, North Limburg and its biggest city Venlo received the largest number of commuters from Germany: 9 thousand people. Of these, 3 thousand were German nationals and 3 thousand were Polish nationals.