Migration and refugees has been an unavoidable topic pretty much anywhere in Europe in the recent years. Despite how much it is mentioned (and how much fear is mongered) I don't feel like I have any grasp on the numbers and nuances. How many refugees have we housed in this country before? What are you provided with here?
Definitions
Let's get our terms right first.
| Migrant (Migrant) | Broad term for somebody who moves from one place to another, inside or outside country borders. Generally the move is considered voluntary, and moving back is possible. |
| Vluchteling (Refugee) | A person who is forced to leave their country, because of war, risk of prosecution, etc. Typically sudden and without warning. Returning home without significant risk is not an option. Refugee status is determined officially by instances like a government or the UN. |
| Asielzoeker (Asylum seeker) | A person who is fleeing from their country, but has not yet been acknowledged as a refugee. |
| Statushouder or vergunninghouders ('Status holder', not sure this translates well) | When the Dutch migration service (IND) has acknowledged you as a valid refugee. |
| Nareiziger (Family reunification or 'subsequent traveler') | Family of a status holder that is allowed to also travel into the country. They are immediately offered a residence permit. |
There tends to be talk of 'illegal asylum seekers'. This in itself seems like nonsense, as asylum is always requested in another country, so after fleeing. This is perfectly acceptable according to international agreements.
vluchtelingen.nl, "Vluchtelingen, asielzoekers, migranten: wat is het verschil?"
rijksoverheid.nl, "Hoe verloopt het aanvragen van asiel?" CBS, "Nareizigers"
The numbers
In 2023:
- There were a total of 17.8 million people in the Netherlands. Currently it has 18.1 million inhabitants.
- There were 164'487 babies born and 169'521 people died. This sets the stage for the significance of other numbers.
- 335'668 people migrated into the Netherlands, while 198'302 emigrated.
- 38'370 people came as refugees and another 10'130 family members reunified.
An asylum seeker becomes part of the migration statistics when they either received a residency permit or have stayed for more than half a year and have been registered at a municipality.
CBS, "Bevolkingsteller" CBS, "Geboorte; kerncijfers" CBS, "Hoeveel immigranten komen naar Nederland?"
All the data together in a graph over recent years: