Where do the emigrants go?

The most popular destination countries of Dutch emigrants have been the same for years: Belgium and Germany head the list, followed by Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Other popular destination countries are France, Australia and Turkey. Approximately one third of these emigrants are Dutch nationals with a second-generation migration background, which means they are departing for the country of birth of (one of) their parents. This applies in particular to Dutch emigrants to Turkey and Morocco, more than 80 percent of whom belong to the second generation.

Both immigration and emigration have increased significantly in recent years. In 2020 this trend reversed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. After the introduction of various coronavirus measures in mid-March, the number of people who settled in the Netherlands from abroad halved. Emigration in April and May was also lower than in the same months in 2019. Since June 2020, immigration and emigration have increased again, but both are still clearly at a lower level than in the same periods last year.

Fewer Dutch people are emigrating

While total emigration keeps increasing, emigration of people born in the Netherlands has been declining for a number of years, bucking this trend. Every year just over 40 thousand Dutch people leave the Netherlands for other countries, but in 2019 this number dropped to 38 thousand.

Over-65s head more than average for southern European countries, especially Spain and France, presumably to enjoy their retirement there. Australia and the United Kingdom are very popular among people in their twenties; for example, they take a year off or go there for a study programme.

Show tableEmigration of Dutch nationals by age and country of destination, 2015/2019 (%)Hide tableEmigration of Dutch nationals by age and country of destination, 2015/2019 (%)

Emigration of Dutch nationals by age and country of destination, 2015/2019 (%)

Bestemming	0 to 19 yrs	20 to 29 yrs	30 to 44 yrs	45 to 64 yrs	65 yrs and over
Total of all countries	29.0	30.2	21.3	15.2	4.3
Belgium	29.6	33.4	20.5	13.2	3.3
Germany	23.0	30.5	21.4	19.7	5.4
Spain	16.7	22.2	20.1	27.6	13.4
United Kingdom	36.3	40.6	16.7	5.7	0.7
United States	30.0	27.0	29.1	12.2	1.6
France	20.3	17.9	17.2	29.8	14.8
Australia	15.6	55.6	22.0	5.6	1.2
Turkey	53.3	25.6	16.0	3.8	1.3
Curaçao	33.8	27.5	22.4	14.8	1.5

The decline in the number of departing Dutch citizens continued in 2020, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the first nine months of 2020, 22.5 thousand Dutch people left, more than 6 thousand fewer than in the same period the previous year. Not only departures to distant destinations such as Australia, the United States and Curaçao decreased as would be expected, countries such as Turkey, Spain and the United Kingdom in particular also welcomed far fewer Dutch people than a year earlier. On 31 January, the United Kingdom left the European Union as a result of Brexit, which may have made the country less popular.

Show tableEmigration of Dutch nationals, per month (x 1,000)Hide tableEmigration of Dutch nationals, per month (x 1,000)

Emigration of Dutch nationals, per month (x 1,000)

Maand	2018	2019	2020*
Jan	3.6	3.7	3.7
Feb	2.6	2.5	2.4
Mar	3.0	2.7	2.1
Apr	2.6	2.6	1.3
May	2.6	2.5	1.4
June	2.9	2.6	1.9
July	4.2	4.0	3.2
Aug	4.8	4.5	3.5
Sep	3.9	3.7	3.0
* provisional figures

The questions

1. How does CBS calculate the figures?
2. How do we use our land?
3. How fast is the population growing?
4. How are the various animal species doing?
5. What are our top concerns?
6. Where do the emigrants go?
7. Who use social media the most?
8. How isolated do we feel?
9. What are our favourite wedding dates? What about partnership registrations?
10. How many under-18s are receiving youth assistance?
11. What about cyber crime?
12. What are the most popular majors?
13. What are the major religions?
14. How many overnight stays?
15. How many people shop online? And the items they buy...
16. Who are eligible to vote?
17. What are young people doing online?
18. How many adults smoke or have smoked?
19. Where were people in the Caribbean Netherlands originally born?
20. Where do Caribbean Dutch children live?
21. How much internet usage in the Caribbean Netherlands?
22. How many people (never) work from home?
23. How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
24. Has our purchasing power gone up or down?
25. Which jobs have the highest levels of mental fatigue?
26. How many employees are members of a trade union?
27. How many passengers flying into and out of the Netherlands?
28. How much nitrogen is emitted at livestock farms?
29. How many dwellings in the Netherlands?
30. How much is our average mileage in electric cars?
31. What do we import from China?
32. Which prices are up, which are down?
33. What is our production of frozen fries?
34. How many enterprises in the Netherlands?
35. How much energy do we get from biomass?
36. How much do we recycle?
37. Which flower bulbs are most common?
38. What is the impact of coronavirus?