Population growth slowed in the first half of 2026

• The population of the Netherlands increased by 23 thousand in the first half of 2026: 14 thousand lower than last year.
• There were fewer asylum seekers registered with Dutch local authorities, in particular.
• The number of deaths rose slightly, but the number of births also increased slightly.

The population of the Netherlands grew by more than 23 thousand in the first six months of 2026. That was a slower rate of growth than in the first half of 2025, when the population increased by nearly 37 thousand. The rate at which the population is growing has been slowing down since 2022. As was the case last year, more people died than were born (natural decrease), meaning that the population grew solely as a result of migration. At the end of June, the Netherlands had a population of 18.15 million. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of provisional figures.

Population growth in the first half of 2026 was the lowest since 2020, when it increased by over 18 thousand. Between 2021 and 2026, the population grew by an average of 50 thousand in the first half of the year. In 2022 however, the population increased by 119 thousand, mainly due to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. Population growth has slowed every year since then.

Slower growth due to less migration

In the first half of 2026, fewer people came to live in the Netherlands and the number of people leaving the country also fell slightly. In total, 126 thousand people migrated to the Netherlands and 95 thousand people left the country to live elsewhere. Net migration (the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants) rose to over 32 thousand. However, migration from other countries was lower year on year, at 14 thousand.

Fewer people migrated to the Netherlands in the first half year of 2026 than between 2022 and 2025, but net migration was higher than it was in 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic.

Fewer asylum migrants, particularly from Syria

Fewer people with Syria as their country of origin came to the Netherlands. A total of 10 thousand Syrians were registered with a Dutch municipality in the first half of 2026, compared to 16 thousand in the first half of 2025. These are mainly people who have been granted asylum. They are counted as migrants as soon as they are registered with a Dutch municipality. The decline in the number of migrants from Syria is partly because they no longer automatically receive an asylum permit, as the situation in Syria is now considered safer. More than 1 thousand people from Syria left the Netherlands, which led to a rise in net migration of 9 thousand. Net migration also fell among people arriving from Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Yemen – the countries from which most asylum seekers originate – compared with 2025.

Fewer people also arrived from Türkiye (Turkey), China, India and Poland. For a large part, these are labour migrants and following family members. For the first time in years, more people from Poland left the Netherlands than arrived.

Net migration rose particularly among people from Ukraine. The number of Ukrainians arriving in the Netherlands in the first half of 2026 was up by 1 thousand, year on year. That was because slightly more Ukrainians arrived in the Netherlands and slightly fewer left. Net migration of people from EU countries rose by 2 thousand (42 thousand migrants arrived and 40 thousand people left), over a thousand more than in the first half of 2025. The increase was mainly due to more people from Romania and Bulgaria arriving in the Netherlands.

Slightly more births than deaths compared with last year

At the same time, however, the death rate was higher than the birth rate – just as it was previous years. In the first half of 2026, 82 thousand children were born, 800 thousand more than in the same period last year. More people died, but the increase in the death rate was smaller than the increase in the number of births. The mortality rate was lower, year on year, whereas in the second quarter it was higher. This was partly due to the high temperatures at the end of June, which led to excess mortality.