Immigration down in 2025, especially asylum and knowledge migrants

• Just over half of migrants came from countries outside the European Union (EU) and EFTA.
• The number of asylum migrants and highly skilled migrants from countries outside the EU fell, in particular.
• Over the past 27 years, an average of 9 percent of immigrants per year were asylum migrants.

A total of 309 thousand migrants arrived in the Netherlands in 2025, 8 thousand fewer than in 2024. Immigration from both other EU member states and countries outside the EU was lower than in 2024, while the number of people of Dutch nationality returning to the Netherlands remained the same. The number of asylum migrants and highly skilled migrants from countries outside the EU fell in particular. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of newly released figures.

Almost half of migrants came from countries outside the European Union (EU) and EFTA. Nearly 37 percent came from a country within the EU or EFTA and 14 percent are of Dutch nationality. These are often people returning to the Netherlands, having previously emigrated.

Lower immigration since 2023

Number of highly skilled migrants has halved since 2022

In 2025, 14 thousand relatively well-paid, specialised labour migrants came to the Netherlands from countries outside the EU, compared to 26 thousand in 2022. In particular, there were fewer highly skilled migrants from India in 2025 than in 2024, but the number of people of Turkish, Russian, Chinese or South African nationality also fell. The number of other labour migrants from countries outside the EU has increased slightly in recent years.

Over the past 26 years, an average of nearly 1 in 5 migrants came to the Netherlands as labour migrants. There were over 61 thousand migrants in 2024, 19 percent of total immigration. Two-thirds of them came from an EU country.

Nearly 68 thousand family migrants

A total of 68 thousand family migrants arrived in the Netherlands in 2024, nearly a quarter of all migrants arriving in the same year. One in three family migrants accompany a labour migrant, or join them later. Because fewer highly skilled migrants are coming to the Netherlands, there were also fewer family members arriving in the same period.

Family members also come to the Netherlands to join study and asylum migrants. In 2025, the latter group (from countries outside the EU) comprised 6.3 thousand persons.

11 percent of migrants in 2025 were asylum seekers

In 2025, approximately 11 percent of all immigrants were asylum migrants. These are people who have entered the Netherlands legally and are registered as residents in the municipal Personal Records Database. The number of asylum migrants fluctuates in line with the number of asylum applications, which in turn is influenced by unrest and wars around the globe. Over the past 27 years, an average of 9 percent of immigrants each year were asylum migrants.

A total of 35 thousand asylum immigrants arrived in the Netherlands in 2025, down by 4 thousand from 2024. After a peak in 2016, due to wars in Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia, the number of asylum migrants fell to 13 thousand in 2020. From 2021 onwards, the number of asylum seekers rose again, mainly due to wars in Syria, Eritrea and Yemen.

Some asylum seekers come to the Netherlands as family reunification applicants. A family reunification applicant is a family member of an asylum seeker who makes use of the family reunification scheme. These family members are issued with a derivative asylum permit. In recent years, the number of following family members has fluctuated between 10 thousand and 15 thousand per year, and depends in part on the number of asylum seekers.

12 percent are study migrants