Migranto

Dutch Diaspora

631.4K Dutch live abroad — the #93 largest diaspora in the world

#93 worldwide#20 in Europe

Where emigrants go

The top 3 countries receive 43% of all emigrants

Largest destination
Belgium

136.5K

21.6% of all emigrants

2Canada68.2K10.8%
3Australia63.6K10.1%
4Spain↑21%57.4K9.1%
5Turkey↑25%46.3K7.3%
6France40.6K6.4%
7Switzerland24.2K3.8%
8New Zealand17K2.7%

↑↓ — change vs 2020

CountryEmigrants
Belgium136488
Canada68248
Australia63634
Spain57390
Turkey46268
France40630
Switzerland24215
New Zealand16997
Poland16195
Sweden15864
Curaçao14772
Italy13193
Austria10748
Norway10105
Denmark9170
Aruba7032
Israel6070
Portugal5110
Hungary5030
Luxembourg4604
Greece4057
South Africa3911
Egypt3809
Suriname3774
Brazil3759
UAE2953
China2508
Bulgaria2437
Malta2228
Libya1998
Finland1946
Japan1798
Czech Republic1670
Mexico1296
Kuwait1135
Hong Kong1099
Peru1050
Serbia965
Chile932
Panama883
Slovakia848
Costa Rica847
Sint Maarten805
Argentina774
Romania765
Guadeloupe726
Croatia723
Colombia722
Botswana672
Dominican Republic666
Venezuela619
Iceland616
Namibia572
Cyprus506
Qatar479
Bolivia474
Slovenia424
Taiwan364
Brunei357
Estonia348
Lithuania327
Bahrain296
Nicaragua288
Andorra278
Ecuador243
Ghana238
Cameroon204
Guatemala164
Montenegro153
Latvia148
Azerbaijan131
Honduras94
Liechtenstein86
Bahamas59
Tajikistan48
Cayman Islands45
Liberia43
Cape Verde39
Central African Republic36
Guinea34
El Salvador33
Cambodia32
Bhutan20
Cook Islands19
Antigua and Barbuda16
Georgia10
Puerto Rico10
Saint Lucia10
Dominica9

By destination region

Europe is the leading destination region at 58%

Europe58.1%

366.8K

Oceania12.8%

80.7K

North America10.8%

68.2K

Middle East9.2%

57.8K

Latin America6.4%

40.1K

Africa1.8%

11.6K

Asia1.0%

6.2K

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Interesting facts

Notable statistics about emigration from the Netherlands.

Sweden is the fastest-growing major destination

Emigration to Sweden has increased by 52% since 2015, rising from 10.4K to 15.9K in 9 years.

The share of emigrants going to Europe has grown since 1990

The share of emigrants going to Europe has shifted from 33.4% to 58.1% since 1990.

Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990

4 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Poland, Denmark, Portugal — Poland rose from outside the top 20 to rank #9.

How emigration changed over time

Total emigrant population by year

YearEmigrants
1990482951
1995500299
2000515256
2005560613
2010597525
2015594329
2020599736
2024631391

Top destinations over time

Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries

Belgium Canada Australia Spain Turkey
YearBelgiumCanadaAustraliaSpainTurkey
19907974313071595745143879555
199586632125102962541780315511
200094048118772927632186521467
2005109559112635916763640325209
2010125625102585885564662828807
201512897593101805664462732195
202013136978297722444746537150
202413648868248636345739046268

Fastest-changing destinations

How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year

Peru1.1K+98%
Malta2.2K+74%
Poland16.2K+58%
Panama883+53%
Iceland616+51%
Curaçao14.8K+40%
Bulgaria2.4K+38%
Aruba7K+37%

Netherlands as an emigration source

Share of immigrants in each country who originate from the Netherlands

Belgium6%136.5K
Canada1%68.2K
Australia1%63.6K
Spain1%57.4K
Turkey1%46.3K
Switzerland1%24.2K
New Zealand1%17K

Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)

Frequently asked questions

Where do Dutch move to?

Most Dutch have moved to Belgium, Canada and Australia — these three countries account for about 43% of all Dutch living abroad.

How many Dutch live abroad?

Around 631.4K Dutch live abroad, making it the #93-largest emigrant population in the world.

What share of the population of the Netherlands lives abroad?

About 4% of the population of the Netherlands lives abroad — that's 631.4K out of a total population of 18M.

How has emigration from the Netherlands changed over the past decade?

Over the past decade, the emigrant population from the Netherlands has grown from 594.3K to 631.4K people, a growth of about 6%.

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