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Netherlands

Destination country · migration, permits and visas

Inflow of foreign nationals, 2023 (OECD)
289,170
Largest group, 2023
Ukraine
First residence permits, 2025 (Eurostat)
118,481
Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
15.3%
DestinationNL2023–2025
Year by year
Data as at 2025
DS<NLNETHERLANDS<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
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Who moves to the Netherlands

Inflows of foreign nationals recorded by the Netherlands, by nationality (OECD).

Inflows by nationality, 2023
  1. Ukraine38,497
  2. Poland25,298
  3. Syria19,551
  4. Romania13,914
  5. Bulgaria12,328
  6. India12,073
  7. Türkiye11,250
  8. Italy10,603
  9. Spain10,447
  10. Germany10,429
  11. China7,991
  12. Portugal6,084
  13. France5,891
  14. Greece5,873
  15. United States5,729
  16. Russia5,160
  17. Hungary4,352
  18. South Africa4,201
  19. United Kingdom3,577
  20. Iran3,481

All inflows by year

179k359k200020032006200920122015201820212023
179k359k2000200420082012201620202023
Data table
200060,049
200164,424
200263,648
200361,091
200457,111
200557,530
200662,238
200773,360
200894,079
200992,831
201099,637
2011109,942
2012109,935
2013115,113
2014135,245
2015153,045
2016175,677
2017179,805
2018189,177
2019213,298
2020169,219
2021206,587
2022358,609
2023289,170
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

Foreign nationals living in the Netherlands

Stock of foreign nationals by nationality (latest year reported) and acquisitions of the Netherlands' nationality (OECD).

Foreign nationals, 2024
  1. Poland194,401
  2. Ukraine111,689
  3. Türkiye92,331
  4. Germany85,176
  5. Syria69,179
  6. Bulgaria60,494
  7. Italy57,564
  8. India55,613
  9. Romania52,265
  10. Spain50,463
  11. China47,369
  12. United Kingdom45,325
  13. Belgium39,745
  14. France34,944
  15. Portugal34,643
Acquisitions of nationality by former nationality, 2023
  1. Syria11,439
  2. Eritrea5,219
  3. Türkiye4,585
  4. India3,953
  5. Morocco2,781
  6. Russia1,868
  7. Iran1,569
  8. Iraq1,422
  9. Afghanistan1,293
  10. Suriname964
  11. Ukraine902
  12. South Africa782
  13. China773
  14. Pakistan748
  15. United Kingdom742

Acquisitions of nationality by year

30k60k200020032006200920122015201820212023
30k60k2000200420082012201620202023
Data table
200041,609
200138,254
200235,290
200321,949
200419,287
200523,432
200622,349
200722,574
200819,471
200922,441
201021,862
201123,191
201225,224
201321,030
201425,067
201519,475
201620,047
201720,079
201819,576
201922,876
202051,361
202160,323
202250,866
202354,817
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

International migrants

People living in the Netherlands who were born in another country, or who hold foreign citizenship where country of birth is not recorded: mid-year estimates (UN DESA).

Largest countries of birth, 2024
  1. Türkiye217,388
  2. Poland210,981
  3. Suriname177,165
  4. Morocco176,423
  5. Syria153,160
  6. Germany125,024
  7. Ukraine120,222
  8. Indonesia100,339
  9. China82,477
  10. India76,806
  11. Belgium67,931
  12. United Kingdom62,657

International migrants by year

1.48M2.96M19901995200020052010201520202024
1.48M2.96M19902000201020202024
Data table
19901,194,306
19951,397,371
20001,584,638
20051,735,632
20101,850,649
20152,024,059
20202,425,521
20242,956,518
International migrants, 2024
2,956,518
Share of the population, 2024
16.2%
Counted by
country of birth, refugees added
Source: United Nations, DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024 (CC BY 3.0 IGO)Data as at 2024

Migrants in the labour market

Labour force survey results for the Netherlands: residents aged 15 and over who were born abroad, compared with those born in the country (ILOSTAT).

IndicatorBorn in the countryBorn abroad
Employment-to-population ratio, 202566.7%62.5%
Unemployment rate, 20253.4%6.4%
Born abroad: share of all workers, 2025
15.6%
Born abroad: share of high-skill jobs, 2025
14.0%
Born abroad: share of medium-skill jobs, 2025
16.0%
Born abroad: share of elementary jobs, 2025
24.4%
Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

Earnings by occupation

Mean gross annual earnings of employees in the Netherlands by major occupation group, in enterprises with 10 or more employees (Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022).

Occupation groupMean annual earnings, EURIndex, all occupations = 100
All occupations50,942100
Managers96,396189
Professionals67,760133
Technicians and associate professionals54,712107
Clerical support workers43,68486
Service and sales workers36,77272
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers34,69568
Craft and related trades workers42,93184
Plant and machine operators and assemblers43,82286
Elementary occupations28,82857
Armed forces occupations61,214120
Mean gross annual earnings, all employees, 2022
50,942 EUR
Women's mean earnings as a share of men's, 2022
80.9%
Source: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2022

Residence permits

First residence permits issued by the Netherlands to non-EU citizens (Eurostat).

First permits by year

68k135k2008201020122014201620182020202220242025
68k135k2008201120142017202020232025
Data table
200859,488
200954,178
201052,219
201152,636
201248,945
201362,398
201465,677
201580,499
201690,872
201793,336
201890,014
201999,981
202071,093
2021103,441
2022135,447
2023130,252
2024126,398
2025118,481
By reason, 2025
  1. Family42,382
  2. Other reasons34,700
  3. Education20,751
  4. Work20,648
By citizenship, 2025
  1. Syria17,738
  2. India9,819
  3. Türkiye8,505
  4. United States7,339
  5. China6,400
  6. South Africa3,459
  7. Eritrea3,256
  8. Iran3,156
  9. United Kingdom3,101
  10. Suriname2,860
  11. Morocco2,538
  12. Ukraine2,411
  13. Pakistan2,358
  14. Philippines2,314
  15. Brazil2,312
EU Blue Cards granted by citizenship, 2024
  1. India91
  2. China49
  3. Russia43
  4. Türkiye33
  5. United States26
  6. United Kingdom24
  7. South Africa19
  8. Iran18
  9. Ukraine15
  10. Belarus12
  11. Brazil12
  12. Egypt9
Work permits by type, 2025
  1. Highly skilled workers (national schemes)10,414
  2. Other paid activities7,356
  3. Researchers2,542
  4. EU Blue Card336
Valid residence permits, 31 Dec 2025
822,192
Long-term residence permits issued, 2025
51,325
Changed status into work, 2025
9,020
Intra-corporate transferee permits, 2025
1,988
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst, migr_resbc11, migr_acq, educ_uoe_mobs02, migr_eirfs, migr_pop1ctz), CC BY 4.0Data as at 2025

Schengen visas issued by the Netherlands

Short-stay visa applications at the Netherlands' consulates worldwide.

Applications by year

370k739k2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
370k739k200920122015201820212024
Data table
2009334,177
2010386,759
2011428,206
2012440,056
2013458,824
2014485,267
2015520,809
2016558,101
2017621,431
2018682,484
2019739,248
2020169,926
2021137,866
2022412,967
2023669,291
2024728,656
Country of the consulateApplications 2024Refusal rate
Türkiye97,00612.2%
India91,00316.0%
China72,5952.4%
Indonesia54,8885.5%
Philippines48,5562.9%
Morocco38,46132.2%
United Arab Emirates29,47320.2%
United Kingdom27,7261.5%
South Africa24,3332.8%
Saudi Arabia22,3247.6%
Suriname20,56516.8%
Egypt15,38646.6%
Ghana14,46658.0%
United States13,3391.3%
Kuwait13,1366.9%
Source: European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs, visa statistics for consulates (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2024

National statistics office

Immigrants with a nationality from outside the EU/EFTA arriving in the Netherlands, by migration motive (Statistics Netherlands).

All by year

100k200k20052007200920112013201520172019202120232025
100k200k200520092013201720212025
Data table
200522,475
200623,250
200722,990
200828,745
200927,845
201028,245
201130,670
201229,515
201331,895
201442,500
201558,895
201674,165
201765,410
201861,405
201968,195
202045,670
202169,275
2022199,995
2023134,665
2024125,915
2025122,070
By reason, 2025
  1. Work15,045
  2. Study15,030
  3. Family32,020
  4. Protection56,100
  5. Other or unknown3,875
Largest citizenships, 2025
  1. Ukraine28,725
  2. Syria27,590
  3. Türkiye8,990
  4. India8,005
  5. United States6,180
  6. China5,985
  7. Eritrea3,125
  8. South Africa3,070
  9. United Kingdom2,910
  10. Iran2,865
  11. Suriname2,810
  12. Iraq2,395
  13. Somalia2,210
  14. Brazil2,120
  15. Philippines2,120
Work-related by citizenship, 2025
  1. India2,745
  2. United States1,955
  3. China1,885
  4. Türkiye1,840
  5. South Africa1,200
  6. United Kingdom1,090
  7. Japan670
  8. Iran620
  9. Brazil580
  10. Russia465
  11. Suriname420
  12. Philippines315
  13. Indonesia245
  14. Canada230
  15. Australia220
Source: CBS (Statistics Netherlands), StatLine 84809NED (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

The Netherlands' embassies and consulates abroad

Countries in which the Netherlands has an embassy or consulate, as recorded in Wikidata.

CountryEmbassiesConsulates-generalConsulates
Afghanistan1——
Albania1——
Algeria1——
Angola1——
Argentina1——
Armenia1——
Australia1——
Austria1——
Azerbaijan1——
Bangladesh1——
Belarus1——
Belgium11—
Benin1——
Bosnia and Herzegovina1——
Brazil1——
Bulgaria1——
Burkina Faso1——
Burundi1——
Canada1——
Chile1——
China1——
Colombia1——
Costa Rica1——
Croatia1——
Cuba1——
Cyprus1——
Czechia1——
Côte d’Ivoire1——
DR Congo1——
Dominican Republic1——
Egypt1——
Estonia1——
Ethiopia1——
Finland1——
France1——
Georgia1——
Germany1——
Ghana1——
Greece1——
Hungary1——
India1——
Indonesia1——
Iran1——
Iraq1——
Ireland1——
Israel1——
Italy2——
Japan1——
Jordan1——
Kazakhstan1——
Kenya1——
Kosovo1——
Kuwait1——
Latvia1——
Lebanon1——
Libya1——
Lithuania1——
Luxembourg1——
Malaysia1——
Mali1——
Malta1——
Mexico1——
Moldova1——
Morocco1——
Mozambique1——
Myanmar1——
New Zealand1——
Niger1——
Nigeria1——
North Macedonia1——
Norway1——
Oman1——
Pakistan1——
Panama1——
Peru1——
Philippines1——
Poland1——
Portugal1——
Qatar1——
Romania1——
Russia11—
Rwanda1——
Saudi Arabia1——
Senegal1——
Serbia1——
Singapore1——
Slovakia1——
Slovenia1——
South Africa1——
South Korea1——
South Sudan1——
Spain1——
Sri Lanka1——
Sudan1——
Suriname1——
Sweden1——
Switzerland1——
Tanzania1——
Thailand1——
Trinidad and Tobago1——
Tunisia1——
Türkiye1——
Uganda1——
Ukraine1——
United Arab Emirates1——
United Kingdom1——
United States1——
Venezuela1——
Vietnam1——
Yemen1——
Zimbabwe1——
Countries
111
Missions
114
Source: Wikidata (CC0)Data as at Oct 2026

Remittances sent abroad

Personal remittances paid from the Netherlands to other countries, in current US dollars (World Bank).

Remittances paid by year, US$ million

10k20k2000200320062009201220152018202120242025
10k20k200020052010201520202025
Data table
20001,447
20011,534
20021,642
20032,471
20044,195
20054,545
20066,079
200710,084
200812,697
200914,649
201012,676
201114,500
201212,346
201313,391
201412,227
201510,369
201611,015
201712,174
201814,003
201914,112
202013,909
202115,321
202215,349
202316,909
202418,084
202520,194
Remittances paid, 2025
US$20,194 million
Average cost of sending US$200 from the Netherlands, 2023
3.0%
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

Corridors into the Netherlands

Nationalities with a dedicated corridor page.

  • Ukraine → Netherlands
  • Syria → Netherlands
  • Poland → Netherlands
  • India → Netherlands
  • Türkiye → Netherlands
  • United States → Netherlands
  • China → Netherlands
  • Romania → Netherlands
  • Bulgaria → Netherlands
  • Indonesia → Netherlands
  • Italy → Netherlands
  • Spain → Netherlands
  • Germany → Netherlands
  • Philippines → Netherlands
  • Morocco → Netherlands
  • South Africa → Netherlands
  • Eritrea → Netherlands
  • Iran → Netherlands
  • United Kingdom → Netherlands
  • Portugal → Netherlands
  • United Arab Emirates → Netherlands
  • France → Netherlands
  • Greece → Netherlands
  • Suriname → Netherlands
  • Russia → Netherlands
  • Pakistan → Netherlands
  • Brazil → Netherlands
  • Yemen → Netherlands
  • Saudi Arabia → Netherlands
  • Hungary → Netherlands
  • Japan → Netherlands
  • Somalia → Netherlands
  • Australia → Netherlands
  • Belgium → Netherlands
  • South Korea → Netherlands
  • Egypt → Netherlands
  • Bangladesh → Netherlands
  • Afghanistan → Netherlands
  • Ghana → Netherlands
  • Canada → Netherlands
  • Kuwait → Netherlands
  • Nigeria → Netherlands
  • Ireland → Netherlands
  • Vietnam → Netherlands
  • Thailand → Netherlands
  • Taiwan → Netherlands
  • Iraq → Netherlands
  • Slovakia → Netherlands
  • Lithuania → Netherlands
  • Colombia → Netherlands
  • Oman → Netherlands
  • Latvia → Netherlands
  • Mexico → Netherlands
  • Sweden → Netherlands
  • Jordan → Netherlands
  • Croatia → Netherlands
  • Qatar → Netherlands
  • Sudan → Netherlands
  • Tunisia → Netherlands
  • Singapore → Netherlands
  • Czechia → Netherlands
  • New Zealand → Netherlands
  • Senegal → Netherlands
  • Kenya → Netherlands
  • Israel → Netherlands
  • Finland → Netherlands
  • Costa Rica → Netherlands
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more