Executive summary

Since 2017, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has been collecting data on all asylum seekers who arrive at reception centres run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and asylum seekers with residency status (known as ‘status holders’) who have been granted an asylum residence permit since 2014, including family reunification applicants and their following family members. This ninth edition of the annual report on this cohort study provides insight into asylum seekers arriving at COA reception centres and the characteristics of asylum seekers with residency status between 2014 and the first half of 2024. This report also provides the latest information on the living situation of these status holders and the degree to which they have integrated into Dutch society. The figures presented here include the numbers entering and leaving COA accommodation, the waiting period for asylum residence permits, housing, civic integration, household composition, family reunification, education, naturalisation, work and income, health care utilisation and crime. The report also focuses on unaccompanied minors arriving from other countries and devotes a specific section to the Ukrainian migrants who have come to the Netherlands under the Temporary Protection Directive (RTB) since 24 February 2022 (the date on which the war in Ukraine began). Next to this report, there is also an interactive dashboard with more information on asylum seekers, integration of status holders and data on the Ukrainian migrants under the RTB.

This research has been commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security (JenV) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW).

Latest news concerning asylum seekers entering COA accommodation and their stay there:

• The number of asylum seekers entering COA accommodation per year since 2021 has increased – Following a temporary decline in numbers seen in 2020, the total number of asylum seekers arriving at COA reception centres in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 exceeded the numbers arriving every year prior to 2020 with the exception of 2015. The number of asylum seekers entering COA accommodation in 2023 (50 thousand, including following family members) was the highest since the 2015 peak (54 thousand). In the first half of 2024, 24 thousand asylum seekers entered COA accommodation, which was 4 thousand more than in the first half of 2023.
• More asylum seekers from Iraq – Since 2018, migrants from Türkiye (Turkey) have consistently been among the top five nationalities entering COA accommodation. Yemen has ranked in the top five since 2020. In 2021 the second-largest group of migrants, after migrants from Syria, was from Afghanistan, and not from Eritrea as in the previous year. Migrants from Türkiye (in 2022 and 2023) and from Iraq (in the first half of 2024) formed the second-largest group after migrants from Syria.
• Relatively high share of young men – To date, over three-quarters of all asylum seekers are under the age of 35 when they arrive in the Netherlands, and half are under the age of 25. At 66 percent, the share of men remained high in the second half of 2024. Just as in previous years, these were predominantly men aged between 15 and 35.
• Share of men from Syria has risen again – The share of (younger) men among asylum seekers from Syria has been around two-thirds since 2020. This was also the case for the first two asylum cohorts in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 and 2017, by contrast, the percentage of women and the percentage of young children were both somewhat higher than in the previous years, and also higher than in the most recent years. This was largely due to the relatively high shares of following family members among migrants from Syria compared to the other years. In the first half of 2024, 65 percent of migrants from Syria were men, including a significant share aged between 15 years and 19 years.
• Fewer asylum seekers arriving as families – In 2023 and the first half of 2024, around 40 percent of all asylum seekers who applied for asylum in the Netherlands arrived here with their family. In 2017, the share was 59 percent. Particularly among Eritreans, the percentage coming to the Netherlands as a family has fallen – from 71 percent in 2020 to 18 percent in the first half of 2024.
• Number of moves between COA reception centres fell slightly among recent cohorts – Asylum seekers moved between COA locations an average of 2.1 times, across all cohorts. From the 2020 cohort onwards, there was a rise in the number of moves within two years of entering COA accommodation. This increase may be due to the increase in the number of emergency locations in temporary usage. Asylum seekers who entered COA accommodation in 2021 and 2022 were slightly more likely to move to another reception location in the first three months, on average, than those who arrived in 2023 and 2024.
• Most asylum seekers in regular COA accommodation after one month – 57 percent of asylum seekers who entered COA accommodation in 2023 were placed in a regular reception centre one month after their arrival. An additional 30 percent were in emergency accommodation and 5 percent were in crisis emergency accommodation. Three months after arriving, the share in regular COA accommodation fell to 44 percent, while the proportion in emergency accommodation rose to 44 percent. The share in crisis emergency accommodation after three months rose to 10 percent.
• Fewer asylum seekers with residence status after one year in the Netherlands – On average, 76 percent of all asylum seekers who entered COA accommodation between 2014 and 2022 were granted a temporary asylum residence permit within 12 months. For the most recent cohort for which the status 12 months later is known – the asylum seekers who arrived in 2022 – the share was 57 percent, lower than in all previous years (except for 2019, when the number of residence permits granted may have been lower due to the COVID pandemic in 2020). The figures vary widely between different arrival cohorts and different nationalitiesnoot1: 88 percent of Syrians and 87 percent of Eritreans who arrived between 2014 and 2022 were granted a residence permit within 12 months. Arrivals from Iran had the lowest percentage, at 39 percent.
• Differences in the allocation of residence status among nationalities – Nearly all Syrian and Eritrean asylum seekers from the 2014 cohort, who were still residing in the Netherlands, had received a residence permit within a year and a half of their arrival. In comparison, approximately two-thirds of asylum seekers from Iraq received a residence permit within the same period. After nine years, 140 asylum seekers from the 2014 cohort remain in COA reception centres without residence status. This does not mean that the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is currently processing the applications of all these persons. Some remain in COA accommodation after a rejected asylum application and are now awaiting their departure. Others are awaiting a court decision regarding an appeal. Furthermore, following a rejection, applicants are entitled to submit a second or subsequent asylum application – for example if there has been a change in their situation or because new information has become available regarding their country of origin.
• Afghans from 2022 cohort more likely to have their own address – On average, nearly 44 percent of all asylum seekers who entered COA accommodation between 2014 and 2022 had left again within 12 months and were independently registered as a resident at an address in a municipality. We refer to this group as having their own address. Asylum seekers from Eritrea and Syria are the most likely to have their own address within 12 months, at 66 and 64 percent respectively. Among Afghans who arrived in 2022, 61 percent were living at their own address within 12 months.
• Most asylum seekers left the Netherlands independently (with unknown destination) – Of the nearly 27 thousand asylum seekers who entered COA accommodation in 2014, 5,980 had left again after nine-and-a-half years or temporarily have no address. This is just over one-fifth of the initial number of asylum seekers who entered COA accommodation in 2014. Most asylum seekers who leave the Netherlands do so independently. A proportion of asylum seekers leave of their own accord, also known as ‘independent departure with unknown destination’; of the 2014 intake cohort, 2,075 had departed after nine-and-a-half years. For a small number of asylum seekers who do not want to leave and will not accept help from the government, the Repatriation and Departure Service (DTenV) initiates a forced departure procedure: in the 2014 cohort, this was the case for 360 asylum seekers after nine-and-a-half years.
• Nearly 31 thousand unaccompanied minors – Nearly 31 thousand unaccompanied minors have arrived in the Netherlands since 2014. Nidos is the organisation that provides care for unaccompanied minors in the Netherlands. The majority of unaccompanied minors were from Syria (37 percent) and Eritrea (23 percent). The number of unaccompanied minors arriving was particularly high in 2015 (4,510 new unaccompanied minors). In the first half of 2024, 2,425 new unaccompanied minors arrived in the Netherlands. Two-thirds of all unaccompanied minors are aged 15, 16 to 17, and 83 percent of them are men. Very young unaccompanied minors are rare: only 1 percent are under the age of five.
• Resettled refugees – In the first half of 2024, 280 resettled refugees arrived. Since 2014, 8,000 resettled refugees have arrived at a COA reception location. The greatest number of arrivals in a single year was 2,000 resettled refugees in 2017. Syrian nationals comprise the largest proportion of all resettled refugees (arriving at COA), at 85 percent.

Latest news concerning housing and civic integration among asylum seekers with residence status and following family members, as well as family reunification applicants:

• Number of residence permits issued in 2023 lower than 2022 – In 2023, the number of residence permits issued to asylum seekers was lower than the numbers issued in 2022. In 2022 this number was almost 33 thousand and in 2023 this was almost 31 thousand. In the first half of 2024, 22 thousand residence permits were issued. Following family members who come to the Netherlands to join a status holder are granted a (derived) asylum residence permit and, as such, are also included as status holders in this study; the same applies to family reunification applicants.
• Most asylum seekers from Syria, variation in other top 5 nationalitiesnoot2 – Between 2014 and 2020, migrants from Syria and Eritrea were the largest and second-largest groups of asylum seekers, respectively. In 2021 migrants from Afghanistan were in second place, and in 2022 it was migrants from Türkiye. In 2023 and the first half of 2024, migrants from Yemen were the second-largest group.
• Little change in number of following family members in recent years – Since 2014, nearly 97 thousand following family members have been granted residency. Two-thirds of these are Syrians. The share of residence permits granted to following family members varies between cohorts. It stood at 51 percent in 2017, and at 54 percent in the first half of 2021. In absolute terms, the number of residence permits granted to following family members did not vary much between 2021 and 2023, at just over 10 thousand per year.
• More following family members after two-and-a-half years for recent cohorts compared with 2017–2019 – The percentage of status holders (excluding following family members) who were joined by relatives after two-and-a-half years declined sharply in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 cohorts. Of these cohorts, between 8 and 12 percent of status holders were joined by relatives under the following family members rules, and between 5 and 6 percent of status holders were joined by relatives under the regular family reunification rules after two and a half years. In 2020 and 2021 the number of status holders (excluding following family members) who were joined by relatives within two-and-a-half years, increased again.
• Share of following family members joining unaccompanied minors has increased since 2018 – Among unaccompanied minors granted residency, 39 percent were joined by relatives within two-and-a-half years under following family members rules and 13 percent under regular family reunification rules. In absolute numbers, the highest number of unaccompanied minor status holders was joined by relatives in 2016 (1,300 under following family members rules and 350 under regular family reunification rules).
• Average waiting time for residence status longer in 2020 and 2021 – The average waiting time for all status holders granted a residence permit between 2014 and the first half of 2024 was 195 days. This was another slight increase on the average waiting time reported for the previous year (175 days). Asylum seekers from Eritrea and Syria receive their residence permits relatively quickly (after 122 and 125 days on average).
• Few differences between regions – Status holders are well distributed across the Netherlands, both two months after leaving COA accommodation and two years afterwards. There is limited variation between municipalities (status holders per 10 thousand inhabitants).
• Status holders tend to move to urban areas, over time – The longer status holders stay in the Netherlands, the more likely they are to live in urban areas. Among the cohort granted residency in 2015, 55 percent were living in highly urbanised areas or very highly urbanised areas after two months, but this share increased to 62 percent after eight years.
• Status holders mainly live in rental housing – The 280 thousand status holders who were granted residence permits between 2014 and the first half of 2024 formed 104 thousand households on 1 July 2024. Of the 2014 cohort, the vast majority (93 percent) of households lived in rental housing.
• More status holders are children living with their parent(s), while share of single-person households is declining – Cohorts since 2017 have included an increasing number of children living with one or both parents. One month after leaving COA accommodation, the share of children living with their parents was 40 percent or more. In 2014, that share was 29 percent. The share of single-person households continues to decline. Of those granted residence permits in 2014, 38 percent were in single-person households two months after leaving COA accommodation. In the first half of 2024, the share was 10 percent.
• Status holders in more recent cohorts are more often in education – The longer status holders stay in the Netherlands, the more likely they are to be in education. Of all status holders who were granted residence permits in 2014, 28 percent were enrolled in education on October 1, 2015. By October 1, 2018, four years after obtaining a permit, this had increased to 39 percent. Four years after obtaining a permit, this percentage is higher for more recent cohorts: for the 2017 to 2019 cohorts, this share ranges between 49 and 53 percent. Even young people aged 18 and over, for whom education is no longer compulsory, are more likely to be in education the longer they stay in the Netherlands.
• High levels of participation in education among most recent cohorts of unaccompanied minors – Unaccompanied minors have become increasingly likely to take part in education in recent years. For instance, 57 percent of all unaccompanied minors who were granted residency in 2014 were in education on 1 October 2025. Among more recent cohorts, between 68 and 80 percent were in education one year after being granted residency.
• No further increase in participation in vocational education (MBO) – As status holders stay for longer in the Netherlands, more of them take part in secondary vocational education (MBO). The share of status holders from 2014 in MBO programmes rose from 12 percent in 2015 to 53 percent in 2024.
• Majority of unaccompanied minors are in vocational education (MBO) – Most unaccompanied minors attend secondary vocational education (MBO). This is the case for an average of 78 percent of those in education across all cohorts, four years after being granted a residence permit, and 86 percent of unaccompanied minors in education.
• Level in MBO is increasing – The majority of status holders enrol in a Level 1 MBO programme in their initial years, and after that there is a rise in the other levels. On 1 October 2015, 68 percent of status holders from the 2014 cohort who were enrolled in MBO were following Level 1. In 2024, the share in Level 1 was 11 percent, and the majority of status holders (40 percent) were following a Level 4 MBO programme.
• 1 percent of 2014 cohort still required to integrate after deadline has passed – Of the nearly 20 thousand people who were granted an asylum residence permit in 2014, 28 percent had not (yet) been designated as required to undergo civic integration as of 1 October 2024. Most people aged between 18 and 65 who receive an asylum residence permit fall under Wet inburgering 2013 (2013 Civic Integration Act). Of this group, 61 percent have passed the civic integration exam or have received a (temporary) exemption. This represents 98 percent of those who are required to integrate and who have not been exempted, left the country, or died. One percent has not passed the exam and has exceeded the three-year integration period. Less than 0.5 percent have not yet passed the exam but still have time to do so. For more recent cohorts, the share of people who have passed the exam or received an exemption is understandably lower.
• Differences between nationalities with respect to the civic integration exam – 74 percent of Iranians from the 2014 cohort falling under Wet inburgering 2013 had passed the civic integration exam or been granted a (temporary) dispensation by October 2024. Among those from Somalia, by contrast, this share was 34 percent – the lowest of any nationality. This share is low because 32 percent of this group have a full dispensation from the civic integration requirement.
• Language level mainly A2, particularly among Eritreans – Civic integration candidates learn how to read, write and speak the Dutch language to at least A2 level. This is the minimum level needed to get by in daily life. Across the cohorts, most (83 percent or more) attained the level of A2 in Dutch in the civic integration exam. Those of Eritrean nationality were the most likely to pass the civic integration exam at A2 level (98 percent).
• Number of naturalisations six years after gaining residence permit is increasing – Once status holders have been resident in the Netherlands for five years, they can apply for Dutch citizenship by naturalisation, under certain conditions. In the case of the 2014 cohort, 89 percent of status holders had naturalised as Dutch citizens after nine and a half years. Among the Syrians granted residence permits in 2014, 94 percent held Dutch citizenship after nine and a half years. For persons from Türkiye, this share was 71 percent.
• Work is main source of income for 4 out of 10 status holders nine years after obtaining residence permit – Many status holders have no income in the months immediately after receiving their residence permit. This is because they are often still living in a reception centre and receive a living allowance. After nine years, welfare benefits were the main source of income for 25 percent of status holders from cohort 2014, while for 38 percent of them it is paid work. The share of status holders in employment increases the longer they stay in the Netherlands. Male status holders are more likely to have work as their main source of income than female status holders. There is also an association between main source of income and age. Younger status holders, younger than 25, are often still in education. From the age of 25 upwards, work is often the primary source of income, while from the age of 45 upwards, welfare benefits are the main source of income. Most unaccompanied minors continue to attend school for the first few years after obtaining a residence permit. After nine years, the percentage of unaccompanied minors in the 2014 cohort with work as their main source of income had increased to 58 percent and the share in education had fallen to 14 percent.
• More status holders are in work – One year after being granted residence, around 3 percent of status holders from cohort 2014 were employed or self-employed. That share is higher among later cohorts – 12 percent in the 2022 cohort, for example. The longer status holders have been in the Netherlands, the more likely they are to be in employment: 55 percent of status holders in the 2014 cohort were in work after nine years.
• Unaccompanied minors more likely to be in part-time work with a temporary employment contract – Unaccompanied minors are slightly more likely to work part-time than the average status holder (68 versus 65 percent); they are also are more likely to have a temporary employment contract (80 versus 73 percent), to work for an employment agency (32 versus 22 percent) and to work in the accommodation and food services sector (22 versus 16 percent), but less likely to work in commerce (18 versus 20 percent), and less likely to be self-employed (5 versus 8 percent).
• Status holders in work often on zero-hour contracts – Most status holders have no fixed minimum number of working hours. The longer they stay in the Netherlands, however, the more likely they are to have an employment contract with a fixed minimum number of hours.
• Over one-third of status holders from cohort 2014 who are in work have had five or more different jobs – After nine years, 37 percent of status holders from the 2014 cohort has had five or more jobs. Status holders from more recent cohorts have had more jobs than status holders from older cohorts. The number of jobs that status holders have had in their careers increases gradually over time.
• Increasing number of working status holders in full-time employment – Status holders often begin their career with a part-time job. Two years after being granted a residence permit, approximately half of those from the 2014 cohort that were employed, had a job of 0.25 FTE or less. More recent cohorts are more likely to work full-time, and the share working part-time is falling over time across all cohorts. After nine years, 54 percent of the employees among the 2014 cohort, were working part-time and 46 percent were working full-time.
• Average hourly earnings of status holders in work rise sharply – Three years after being granted a residence permit, 11 percent of status holders from the 2014 cohort who were in work were earning an average of 15 euros per hour or more. Among newer cohorts, this share is higher. In the 2020 cohort, nearly half were earning 15 euros per hour or more three years after being granted residency. The longer status holders live and work in the Netherlands, the higher their average hourly wage. After nine years, 63 percent of the 2014 cohort were earning 15 euros or more. When adjusted for inflation, the increase of earnings over time and cohorts is still visible, though less strong.
• Number of benefit recipients among 2014 cohort down once again – 89 percent of those granted residency in 2014 and aged between 18 and 64 were receiving welfare benefits two years later. This share is lower in more recent cohorts. In the 2021 cohort, 73 percent were receiving welfare benefits two years after being granted residency. Nine years after being granted residency, just under one-third of the 2014 cohort were still reliant on welfare benefits.
• Income disparities between nationalities are limited – This is because a significant share of status holders rely on social assistance benefits, which are based on fixed amounts based on the situation of that family.
• Health care usage remains the same after two years – For all cohorts, over 96 percent have incurred health care costs due to visiting a GP two years after being granted a residence permit. Eritrean status holders incur the lowest health care costs from GP appointments, hospital care and medicines. Status holders from Iran incur costs for healthcare usage the most frequently, on average.
• Slightly more young people receiving youth care – Of all the younger asylum seekers (aged 22 or younger) granted residency in 2014 or 2015 and no longer living in COA accommodation, around 5 percent were receiving some form of youth care in 2016. By 2023, however, that share had risen to 9 percent. This was highest among younger status holders from Afghanistan, at 13 percent. Most recipients of youth care receive youth assistance. In 2023, 1.4 percent of younger asylum seekers were receiving support from youth protection services (e.g. the placement of status holders younger than 18 under legal guardianship).
• Status holders more likely to be registered as criminal suspects than persons of European origin – Male status holders are slightly more likely to be criminal suspects than men of Dutch or European origin. The number of status holders aged 18–22 from the 2021 cohort who were suspected of a crime in the 2023 reporting year was 70 – this is 420 suspects per 10 thousand status holders; in the 23 to 45 age group, the total was 140 – relatively speaking this is 250 suspects per 10 thousand status holders.

Latest news concerning Ukrainians who have arrived in the Netherlands since February 2022 under the Temporary Protection Directive:

• More women than men – As of June 2024, 157 thousand refugees from Ukraine had registered as resident in a municipality in the Netherlands, of whom 115 thousand were still resident in the Netherlands on 1 July 2024. Most of those refugees hold Ukrainian nationality (150 thousand) but a small number (7 thousand) hold another nationality (this group is known as third-country nationals). Most refugees settled in the Netherlands in the first half of 2022. Until July 2022, around 65 percent of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands were women. This percentage has dropped to 57 percent in the other recent cohorts.
• 1 in 4 Ukrainians had left the Netherlands before 1 July 2024 – Almost all refugees from Ukraine live independently in a municipality – either at a municipal reception centre or with private citizens, such as host families. Over 800 refugees who arrived in the Netherlands since the start of the war were living in COA accomodations as of July 1, 2024, while more than 350 refugees had passed away. By July 1, 2024, a quarter of all Ukrainian refugees had left the Netherlands.
• Mainly single persons and children living with their parents – Compared to third-country nationals, Ukrainians are less likely to come to the Netherlands as single persons (43 percent versus 68 percent), more often as children living with their parents (22 percent versus 4 percent), and slightly more often as a parent in a single-parent household (10 percent versus 2 percent).
• 47 percent are in work after four months in the Netherlands – Four months after obtaining temporary protection in the Netherlands, 47 percent of refugees from Ukraine are employees: 45 percent of those with Ukrainian nationality, and 64 percent of third-country nationals. After six months, nearly half of the employed Ukrainian refugees are in full-time work. Most Ukrainian refugees work for employment agencies (50 percent) or in the accommodation and food services sector (15 percent), which is similar to the average for all status holders.
• Ukrainians are distributed throughout the Netherlands – Like other status holders, Ukrainians live throughout the Netherlands. One month after obtaining temporary protection, most Ukrainians are registered in the municipalities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Almere and Westland. Of these, Westland has the largest relative share of Ukrainians (209 per 10 thousand inhabitants).