Migrants to Netherlands fall for third year
Jul 7, 2026
Category: EU Migration Netherlands News
Immigration to the Netherlands fell for a third consecutive year in 2025, reflecting a broader decline driven largely by fewer asylum seekers and fewer highly skilled workers from outside the European Union.
A total of 309,000 migrants arrived in the country last year, 8,000 fewer than in 2024. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) released the figures on 30 June, showing declines in both EU and non-EU arrivals.
The number of Dutch nationals returning from abroad held steady. Just over half of all migrants in 2025 came from outside the EU and the European Free Trade Association, while 37% arrived from within the EU or EFTA. Dutch nationals made up 14% of the total.
A drop for second year running
Asylum migration accounted for roughly 11% of total immigration in 2025, or about 35,000 people. That figure fell by 4,000 compared with 2024.
CBS said that asylum numbers have averaged 9% of annual immigration over the past 27 years. The agency linked the fluctuations to global conflict rather than a single domestic cause.
Asylum migration peaked in 2016 amid wars in Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. It then dropped to 13,000 in 2020 before climbing again from 2021, when conflicts in Syria, Eritrea and Yemen drove fresh arrivals.
Family reunification linked to asylum cases added 6,300 people from outside the EU in 2025. Following family members have ranged between 10,000 and 15,000 a year in recent years, CBS said.
More than 28,000 Ukrainian refugees arrived in 2025 under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive. That was nearly 2,000 fewer than in 2024.
Nearly half since 2022
Highly skilled migration from outside the EU fell sharply last year. Just 14,000 arrived in this category in 2025, down from 26,000 in 2022.
CBS reported fewer arrivals from India in particular. Nationals of Turkey, Russia, China and South Africa also declined.
Other non-EU labour migration ticked up slightly over the same period, the agency noted.
Labour migration overall remains one of the largest channels into the Netherlands. More than 61,000 people arrived for work in 2024, representing 19% of total immigration that year.
Over the past 26 years, labour migrants have made up close to one in five arrivals on average. About two-thirds of 2024 labour migrants came from EU countries.
Family, study routes hold steadier
Family migration remained a significant channel in 2024, with 68,000 arrivals accounting for nearly a quarter of total immigration. A third of family migrants either accompanied a labour migrant or joined one later.
CBS said that the decline in highly skilled labour migration has also reduced the number of family members arriving alongside them. Family migration includes relatives of students and asylum migrants as well as workers.
Study migration continued at a steady pace. In 2024, 38,000 people came to the Netherlands to study, representing 12% of total immigration that year.
A smaller pool to track
Fewer asylum seekers and skilled workers may result in fewer biometric registrations under the Entry/Exit System (EES) for those groups. However, the system’s overall workload depends on border crossings across all 30 participating countries, not just one member state.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) screens visa-exempt travellers, not asylum seekers or long-stay workers, so the figures fall largely outside its scope. However, slower migration to Europe could reduce the pool of potential ETIAS applicants after the system launches later in 2026.
For migrants themselves, the falling asylum and skilled-worker numbers point to a tougher entry environment. That could stem from stricter screening abroad, fewer job openings, or shifts in global conflict patterns.
Family migrants tied to asylum and labour routes are affected indirectly. Fewer primary applicants tend to mean fewer people following behind them.
Students and EU or EFTA labour migrants sit outside the reported decline. Their routes into the Netherlands appear to be comparatively stable.
A pattern three years in the making
The figures show a broad slowdown across nearly every category of migration to the Netherlands. Asylum and highly skilled labour migration from outside the EU account for most of the drop.
CBS tied the falls to fewer global arrivals in these two categories rather than to a single policy change or event. Family and study migration, along with EU and EFTA labour flows, held up more steadily by comparison.
The figures mark the third straight year of decline, following a sharp rise in 2022, partly driven by the war in Ukraine. Whether the trend continues into 2026 will depend on global conditions that CBS said remain difficult to predict.