MigrantoDutch Diaspora
631.4K Dutch live abroad — 4% of the population of the Netherlands
Dutch diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 43% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Belgium | 136488 |
| Canada | 68248 |
| Australia | 63634 |
| Spain | 57390 |
| Turkey | 46268 |
| France | 40630 |
| Switzerland | 24215 |
| New Zealand | 16997 |
| Poland | 16195 |
| Sweden | 15864 |
| Curaçao | 14772 |
| Italy | 13193 |
| Austria | 10748 |
| Norway | 10105 |
| Denmark | 9170 |
| Aruba | 7032 |
| Israel | 6070 |
| Portugal | 5110 |
| Hungary | 5030 |
| Luxembourg | 4604 |
| Greece | 4057 |
| South Africa | 3911 |
| Egypt | 3809 |
| Suriname | 3774 |
| Brazil | 3759 |
| UAE | 2953 |
| China | 2508 |
| Bulgaria | 2437 |
| Malta | 2228 |
| Libya | 1998 |
| Finland | 1946 |
| Japan | 1798 |
| Czech Republic | 1670 |
| Mexico | 1296 |
| Kuwait | 1135 |
| Hong Kong | 1099 |
| Peru | 1050 |
| Serbia | 965 |
| Chile | 932 |
| Panama | 883 |
| Slovakia | 848 |
| Costa Rica | 847 |
| Sint Maarten | 805 |
| Argentina | 774 |
| Romania | 765 |
| Guadeloupe | 726 |
| Croatia | 723 |
| Colombia | 722 |
| Botswana | 672 |
| Dominican Republic | 666 |
| Venezuela | 619 |
| Iceland | 616 |
| Namibia | 572 |
| Cyprus | 506 |
| Qatar | 479 |
| Bolivia | 474 |
| Slovenia | 424 |
| Taiwan | 364 |
| Brunei | 357 |
| Estonia | 348 |
| Lithuania | 327 |
| Bahrain | 296 |
| Nicaragua | 288 |
| Andorra | 278 |
| Ecuador | 243 |
| Ghana | 238 |
| Cameroon | 204 |
| Guatemala | 164 |
| Montenegro | 153 |
| Latvia | 148 |
| Azerbaijan | 131 |
| Honduras | 94 |
| Liechtenstein | 86 |
| Bahamas | 59 |
| Tajikistan | 48 |
| Cayman Islands | 45 |
| Liberia | 43 |
| Cape Verde | 39 |
| Central African Republic | 36 |
| Guinea | 34 |
| El Salvador | 33 |
| Cambodia | 32 |
| Bhutan | 20 |
| Cook Islands | 19 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 16 |
| Georgia | 10 |
| Puerto Rico | 10 |
| Saint Lucia | 10 |
| Dominica | 9 |
By region
58% of the diaspora lives in Europe
Ask Migo
Tap a question — our AI assistant answers it in chat, with real migration data
Key facts
The Dutch diaspora in numbers
The community in Sweden is growing fastest
The number of Dutch living in Sweden has grown 52% since 2015, from 10.4K to 15.9K.
The share of the diaspora living in Europe has grown since 1990
33.4% of the diaspora lived in Europe in 1990, compared with 58.1% today.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
4 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Poland, Denmark, Portugal. Poland climbed from outside the top 20 to #9.
Dutch diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 482951 |
| 1995 | 500299 |
| 2000 | 515256 |
| 2005 | 560613 |
| 2010 | 597525 |
| 2015 | 594329 |
| 2020 | 599736 |
| 2024 | 631391 |
Largest communities over time
Dutch living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | Belgium | Canada | Australia | Spain | Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 79743 | 130715 | 95745 | 14387 | 9555 |
| 1995 | 86632 | 125102 | 96254 | 17803 | 15511 |
| 2000 | 94048 | 118772 | 92763 | 21865 | 21467 |
| 2005 | 109559 | 112635 | 91676 | 36403 | 25209 |
| 2010 | 125625 | 102585 | 88556 | 46628 | 28807 |
| 2015 | 128975 | 93101 | 80566 | 44627 | 32195 |
| 2020 | 131369 | 78297 | 72244 | 47465 | 37150 |
| 2024 | 136488 | 68248 | 63634 | 57390 | 46268 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Dutch in each country has changed since the selected year
Dutch among immigrants in other countries
Where Dutch make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Dutch live outside Netherlands?
Around 631.4K Dutch live abroad, the world's #93 largest diaspora.
Where do most Dutch abroad live?
Most Dutch live in Belgium, Canada and Australia — these three countries account for about 43% of all Dutch living abroad.
Which country has the largest Dutch population outside Netherlands?
Belgium is home to the largest Dutch community abroad — 136.5K people, about 22% of all Dutch living abroad.
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.
Is the Dutch diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Dutch living abroad has grown from 594.3K to 631.4K, about 6%.
Where does the data on the Dutch diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in the Netherlands who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
Score countries, regions and cities by what matters to you
Living in the Netherlands
See the full country overview