Summary
The Report on Integration and Society (Rapportage Integratie en Samenleven) describes how groups of different origins compare to the average for the Dutch population as a whole. Have these differences become less pronounced in recent years? What developments do we see among migrants and second-generation groups who were born in the Netherlands? This report describes the situation around integration up to and including the year 2023.
This summary starts with the main points concerning integration, which are followed by a discussion of the main findings in each chapter.
Main points
The position of persons who live in the Netherlands but are of non-Dutch origin diverges from the average for the population as a whole in various areas. On average, members of these groups live in smaller homes, are more likely to leave education without a basic qualification, are less likely to be in employment, earn less, and are more likely to rely on social benefits. In addition, their careers are more likely to be adversely affected by an economic downturn.
Following the setback in the socio-economic position of all groups of origin that followed the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a clear recovery has taken place: the upward trend in labour market participation has resumed, and unemployment and dependence on social benefits have decreased. Some groups with non-Dutch origins suffered more from the stagnation in labour market participation during the pandemic, but they also experienced stronger recovery.
Among people of Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, and Dutch-Caribbean origin, the second-generation group diverges less from the average for the population as a whole in the domains of housing, socioeconomic position, and education. Members of the second-generation group live in larger homes, are more likely to be homeowners, have a higher rate of labour market participation, higher income, and are more likely to have a higher-education degree. Even so, the second-generation group still differed from the average in all these areas in 2023. In secondary education, their position appears to be catching up: the share of second-generation pupils starting HAVO or VWO rose more than average. However, since 2019/’20, this upward trend seems to have stagnated in the later stages of education, with a larger than average drop in graduation rates and in the share of young people leaving education with a basic qualification.
Among the five largest groups of non-European origin, those from Indonesia are an exception. Both migrants from Indonesia and the second-generation group of Indonesian origin occupy an above-average position in the housing market, their income is higher than average, and are more likely to have a higher-education degree. In addition, they are more likely to report good health and to be moderate users of healthcare services.
Migrants from refugee countries (in this report: Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria) have the least favourable position in virtually all socioeconomic domains. They live in the smallest houses, are seldom homeowners, are often dependent on social benefits, and have the lowest incomes. However, in terms of education, pupils of Afghan and Iranian origin constitute an exception: they are more likely than average to attend HAVO or VWO, and frequently likely to have a higher education degree.
The percentage of people registered as criminal suspects has decreased for all groups of origin. Even so, the overrepresentation of those of non-Dutch origin remains virtually unchanged. Men of second-generation Moroccan, Dutch-Caribbean or Surinamese origin are the most overrepresented group. In 2023, the share of people who indicated that they sometimes felt unsafe and the share of people who became a victim of a crime increased slightly, after falling for a long period. The differences between groups of different origin remain stable.
Contact with neighbours and friends has decreased over the last decade, as did the share of people volunteering or participating in associations. This applied to all groups of origin. People of non-Dutch origin had less contact with family than average. Members of the second-generation group of Moroccan and Turkish origin have relatively frequent contact with neighbours. People of non-Dutch origin are less engaged than average in associations and volunteer services. They are also less likely to provide informal care, with the exception of the second-generation group of Moroccan origin.
Chapter 1: Population
Of the 17.9 million who made up the population of the Netherlands on 1 January 2024, 2.9 million were born outside the country (i.e. migrants). Of those who were born in the Netherlands, 2.1 million had at least one parent who was born outside the Netherlands (i.e. second generation). Together, these groups made up 28 percent of the Dutch population, and around two-thirds of them are of non-European origin. Those with Turkish, Moroccan, Indonesian, Surinamese, or Dutch-Caribbean origins formed the largest groups of non-European origin.
Over the past five years, 97 percent of population growth in the Netherlands has been the result of international migration. In addition to the increase in migration from Ukraine in 2022 and (to a lesser extent) 2023, migration from the newer EU member states saw the most growth. Most of these migrants came from Poland, although net migration from this country was already significantly lower in 2023 than it had been in the preceding year. The increase in migration from refugee countries (excluding Ukraine) over the past five years has been smaller, in comparison, but there are large variations between different countries of origin. Refugees of Syrian origin are the largest group. Net migration to the Netherlands from the five largest groups of non-European origin has been increasing steadily since 2016, especially among migrants of Turkish origin.
For many groups of non-Dutch origin, family unification is the most important motive for migrating to the Netherlands. Migration from refugee countries largely consists of asylum migration, followed by family migration. Among migrants from other countries (inside or outside Europe), work and education are increasingly important motives. Since 2022, many Ukrainian refugees have arrived in the Netherlands under the Temporary Protection Directive of the European Union.
In the Netherlands, there are demographic differences between groups with different origins. Those of non-Dutch origin were younger than average, especially the second-generation group. Migrants of non-European origin are older than the average for the population as a whole. Furthermore, those of new EU and Eritrean origin include more one-person households than average. Those of Turkish or Moroccan origin are more likely to marry a partner from the same group than other non-Dutch groups. Women born in Europe (but outside the Netherlands) have less children than average.
Chapter 2: Housing
Relative to the population as a whole, people of non-Dutch origin are more likely to live in rental housing and multi-family housing, and to live in relatively small homes. The difference with the average for the population as a whole is somewhat smaller for the second-generation group than among the migrant group.
Among those of non-Dutch origin, those of Indonesian origin have the most favourable position on the housing market, especially those aged 30 and older. They are more likely to be homeowners and live in larger homes, on average. Among younger people, households of Turkish origin generally have a good position when it comes to housing. This is particularly true of the second-generation group. They are more likely to be homeowners, live in homes of above-average size, and more likely to live in a family house. In this regard, their position is almost the same as that of their peers of Dutch origin.
In relative terms, migrants from refugee countries have the least favourable position when it comes to housing. They are more likely to live in rental housing and multi-family housing, and housing of a relatively small size, especially in the case of migrants from Somalia and Eritrea. Among the five largest groups of non-European origin, people of Moroccan origin have a less favourable position on the housing market, on average, with a particularly low share of homeowners.
People of non-Dutch origin are overrepresented in the Netherlands’ larger cities, where they make up around 50 percent of residents. Among the five largest groups of non-European origin, those in the migrant group are more to live in one of the four large cities than those in the second-generation group. Those from new EU member states or refugee countries are distributed more evenly across the Netherlands.
Chapter 3: Education
Pupils of non-European origin attend HAVO or VWO less often than average, although their level of education has increased. This is reflected in an increase in the share of pupils leaving primary school with a HAVO or VWO recommendation, but also in the share actually attending these forms of secondary education. This applies especially to pupils of Turkish origin. Among pupils of Dutch-Caribbean origin, the increase in their level of education has been less pronounced. This is also reflected in VMBO education, in which the two vocational variants (basisberoepsgericht and kaderberoepsgericht) are attended relatively often by pupils of Dutch Caribbean origin.
Rates of graduation from secondary education have been increasing for a long time. However, at all levels there was a large decline for all groups of origin following the COVID-19 crisis. In 2023/’24, a smaller share of pupils of Moroccan, Surinamese, and Dutch-Caribbean origin graduated than in 2011/’12. The share of drop-outs has also been on the rise since the COVID-19 crisis. The share leaving education without a basic qualification is particularly high among pupils of Dutch-Caribbean origin.
More MBO students attend the level 4 track than before. The shift from levels 2 and 3 towards level 4 has taken place across groups of all origins. The most popular MBO programmes are those in the care, wellbeing, and sports sector, especially among students of Moroccan origin. Students born outside the Netherlands are more likely to follow programmes in the areas of professional service and security, and less often in the areas of food, agriculture, and hospitality.
The level of education of those aged 25–45 years old who were born in the Netherlands varies significantly according to the country of birth of their parents. Those with one or two parents born in the Netherlands are slightly likely than average to have a HBO or university degree, while those with two born parents outside the Netherlands are less likely than average to have one. The high level of education of young women of the second-generation group of Iranian origin is particularly noteworthy.
Chapter 4: Socioeconomic position
Net labour market participation has been increasing for some time already. Unemployment, youth unemployment, and the share of people receiving social benefits has been on the decline. Still, migrants of non-European origin are less often in paid employment than average. On the other hand, migrants from the newer EU member states are more likely than average to be in paid employment, and the second generation to an average extent.
In addition to the numbers in employment, the nature of the employment also differs by origin. Both the migrant group and the second-generation group are more likely to work on flexible contracts rather than permanent contracts. Migrants are more likely to work in technical professions and less likely to work in professions in healthcare. By contrast, those in the second-generation group are less likely to work in technical professions, but slightly more likely to work in commercial professions.
The income of migrants is lower than average. Among the second-generation group, incomes differ clearly according to the parents’ country of birth: incomes are close to the average among those with one parent born outside the Netherlands, whereas those with two parents born outside the Netherlands have lower incomes. However, these differences have decreased over time.
Migrants from refugee countries have the lowest incomes. They are more likely to receive social benefits. In groups of most origins, dependence on welfare benefits decreases the longer they stay in the Netherlands. The second-generation group from refugee countries is very young, on average, and most are still in education. Insofar as they are involved in the labour market, their income is higher than those in the migrant group, but lower than the average for the population as a whole. The second-generation group of Iranian origin forms an exception, earning incomes close to the average.
Chapter 5: Crime
The percentage of registered criminal suspects in the Netherlands has declined since 2005. Those in the migrant group and the second-generation group are now suspected of crimes less often than before. However, the percentage of suspects in those groups is still above average.
Men in the second-generation group of Moroccan, Surinamese or Dutch Caribbean origin are more likely than average to be criminal suspects, while people of Indonesian origin are less likely than average.
The proportion of those who indicate they have been a victim of crime in the past year has also declined. A sharp decline occurred from 2012, followed by a slight increase again from 2021. People of non-Dutch origin are more likely to be victims of crime than average. Migrants of Indonesian origin are an exception to this and are actually less likely to be a victim of crime.
General feelings of unsafety also decreased from 2012 and increased slightly again after 2021. Members of the second-generation group with one parent born outside the Netherlands feel slightly more unsafe than average; migrants, on the other hand, feel unsafe less often. People of Moroccan origin feel unsafe the least often. When asked specifically about their own neighbourhood, perceptions of safety are more positive in groups of all origins. Perceptions of safety are strongly related to personal characteristics. Women, young people and people living in urban areas feel unsafe (in general and in their own neighbourhood) more often than men, older persons and people living in non-urban areas.
Chapter 6: Health
The migrant and second-generation groups are less likely than average to report that their health is good. This applies to all age groups. In particular, people of Turkish or Moroccan origin aged over 40 years are less likely than average to report good health. Among people aged over 40 years, the healthcare costs of migrants and the second generation are also higher than average. In groups of almost all origin, fewer people were positive about their health in 2022 than a decade earlier. Among those aged over 60 years, the decline in the proportion of people reporting good health was the smallest.
Among those aged 18–60 years, the proportion of smokers has decreased in groups of almost all origin. People of Turkish origin smoke the most often on average, while people of Moroccan origin smoke the least often. The proportion of people with obesity increased across almost all age groups and groups of all origins between 2012 and 2022. The share of people with obesity increased the most among the second-generation group of Dutch-Caribbean origin aged 18–40 years, from 6 percent to 21 percent. Among the second generation group of Moroccan origin, the proportion also increased sharply, from 7 percent to 18 percent. Among Dutch Caribbean migrants aged 40–60 years, the share with obesity also rose sharply, from 31 percent to 43 percent.
The proportion of people with specialised mental healthcare costs is highest for the second-generation group with one foreign-born parent. Migrants make the least use of this form of care. Among people of European origin, the share receiving specialist mental healthcare costs is lower than average. Among women, the share receiving specialist mental healthcare is highest in groups of Turkish and Surinamese origin, while among men it is highest in groups of Moroccan and Surinamese origin. On average, people of Turkish or Moroccan origin receive antipsychotic medication the most often. Among people of Moroccan origin, it is mainly men who are prescribed antipsychotics. In groups of all origins, women are one and a half to two times more likely than men to be prescribed antidepressants. Women of Turkish origin are prescribed antidepressants relatively often. In all age groups, migrant groups are prescribed diabetes medication the most often. Among 55–65 year olds, it is almost twice as often as average. Among people of Moroccan origin aged 75 and older, the percentage is the highest: half of them receive diabetes medication.
Chapter 7: Social participation
Members of migrant and second-generation groups are slightly less likely to have weekly contact with family or neighbours than average. At the same time, members of second-generation groups have the most frequent contact with friends. The differences in contact with friends and neighbours can partly be explained by differences in background characteristics, especially age structure. For example, young people in groups of all origins have more contact with their friends. Even after adjusting for gender, age and educational level, people of Dutch origin have slightly more frequent contact with their relatives, although the difference is small. When it comes to contact with neighbours, after correction, the difference disappears among the second-generation group and is smaller among migrants.
Contact with relatives remained stable between 2012/2016 and 2020/2023. During the same period, contact with friends and neighbours decreased among groups of all origins.
Among migrants, the proportion of people providing informal care is lower than average, and among the second-generation group it is about the same as average. In addition, migrants are the least likely to participate in voluntary work. In the second-generation group, the proportion who volunteer is lower than average. The same is true of participation in associations. The differences in informal care, volunteering and participating in associations persist after controlling for age, gender and educational level.
The proportion of people volunteering or participating in associations decreased between 2012/2016 and 2020/2023. This applies to groups of all origins studied. The decline in participation in associations is above average, especially among the second-generation group. Giving informal care to others increased slightly between 2012/2016 and 2020/2023 among all groups.
Chapter 8: The effect of social network on children’s language proficiency
The educational outcomes of the children of migrants are improving over the years, but are still not as good as those of children of Dutch origin. It is therefore relevant to understand more about the language proficiency of children of whom neither parents were born in the Netherlands, and which factors are related to this. This chapter focuses on the role of children’s social networks, and examines the relationship between the proportion of people of the same origin group in a child’s social network and that child’s proficiency in the Dutch language.
A higher proportion of people of the same origin group in a child’s social network (a higher isolation score) is associated with a lower performance on reading skills in the final test at the end of primary school (at age 11/12), even after adjusting for different background characteristics. For spelling and grammar, there is a similar relationship between higher social isolation and a lower reference level, but this disappears after adjusting for the overall final test score as an indicator of school performance in general. This is a conservative model, however, because the total score in the final test consists in part of the score for the dependent variables of reading skills and spelling and grammar.
All in all, this study provides clear evidence of a network effect: exposure to the Dutch language (or lack thereof) in children’s social networks is likely one of the causes of differences in their language proficiency.
Chapter 9: Careers of graduates in high and low economic times
Previous research has shown that people of non-European origin experience more difficulty with the transition to the labour market after finishing their studies. This applies especially to men. The economic climate probably plays a role in this. This chapter therefore compares the careers of men born in the Netherlands who graduated during better economic times (after academic year 2007/’08 or 2017/’18) and worse economic times (after academic year 2012/’13).
The results confirm that the transition between education and the labour market is more difficult during periods of economic difficulty than in better economic times. During downturns, recent male graduates are less likely to find paid work that provides an adequate income (the full-time minimum wage or higher). The consequences of a more difficult transition are long-lasting. Males who do not find work that provides an adequate sufficient income reasonably quickly end up gaining less work experience in subsequent years, on average, and are more likely to interrupt their careers. This is reflected in lower hourly earnings. However, the effects of work experience and career interruptions on hourly earnings are small compared to other characteristics, such as the level or field of education.
The economic climate affects groups of certain origins more than others. Among all males who graduate during an economic downturn, those in the second-generation group of non-European origin are the least likely to find paid work that provides an adequate income. As a result, their careers and hourly wages develop less favourably in subsequent years. But even compared to other men who do not find work that provides an adequate income relatively quickly, the careers of the second generation of non-European origin are less successful.
Although many males suffer due to economic hard times after leaving education, the adverse effects are felt mainly by the second generation of non-European origin. This has long-term repercussions on their position on the labour market.
Chapter 10: Contact between local residents and views on diversity
This chapter looks at the neighbourhoods where people live, contact between population groups and views on cultural diversity. This was based on data from a survey of people of Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, Dutch Caribbean, Polish and Iranian origins.
People of Dutch origin often live in homogeneous neighbourhoods where there are not many people from other groups; by contrast, people from other groups mainly live in diverse neighbourhoods. This is also visible in the social contacts that people have. People of Dutch origin mainly have contact with neighbours, friends, acquaintances and others who are also of Dutch origin. Only people of Dutch origin who live in diverse neighbourhoods have more contact with people from other groups. Meanwhile, people of non-Dutch origin have more contact with people from other groups, regardless of the composition of the neighbourhood.
There is a positive relationship between social contact and views on diversity. The more contact with people from other groups that respondents had, the more positive their views on cultural diversity. People of Dutch origin (and to a lesser extent Polish origin) who live in homogeneous neighbourhoods, do not have strongly positive or negative views on diversity. By contrary, people from other groups see diversity in a very positive light.
This would suggest that neighbourhood composition may affect people’s views on diversity. This does not seem to be the case, however. Residents of diverse neighbourhoods do have more contact with other groups, but that additional contact is not enough to lead to different views. The reason that residents of diverse neighbourhoods think more positively about diversity has more to do with other neighbourhood and personal characteristics. When this is taken into account, there is no longer any statistical relationship between neighbourhood composition and views on diversity.