The statistics in the chart above are based on Eurostat's Non-national population by group of citizenship, 1 January 2023. The next Eurostat update is expected in March 2025.

According to Eurostat's Migration and migrant population statistics, as of 1 January 2023, there were about 713 500 third-country nationals (TCNs), representing 4% of the population, and another 704 200 EU citizens (4%) living in the Netherlands at the time.

In 2021, 33.3% of permits were issued for family reunification, 20.1% – for work, and 18.9% – for study purposes, according to the European Migration Network (EMN)’s 2022 country factsheet for the Netherlands. In terms of countries of origin, the largest number of first-time permits were issued in 2021 to people coming from Syria (12 740 or 12.3% of all permits), India (11 799 or 11.4%) and Turkey (8 336 or 8%). Finally, in terms of naturalisation, 57 782 TCNs received Dutch citizenship in 2021, as opposed to 48 884 and just 25 606 in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Other detailed statistical data is available in the EMN 2022 country factsheet for the Netherlands, with insights about the age and gender of TCNs, the most common types of residence permits issued and international protection statistics.

By the end of March 2024, the Netherlands also counted a total of 121 440 non-EU citizens who had fled the war against Ukraine and were under temporary protection in the country – see monthly updates in the numbers of temporary protection beneficiaries on Eurostat. In addition, in November 2023, 104 260 people displaced from Ukraine had been registered as residents in Dutch municipalities.

The OECD/EC Indicators of Immigrant Integration 2023: Settling In report provides further breakdowns of the composition of migrant populations and households in the Netherlands, including in terms of immigration flows by legal category, concentration in densely populated areas, duration of stay and household composition.

The Netherlands implemented its first strategy in the 1980s to integrate guest workers who ended up permanently residing in the country. The Dutch government then introduced a two-track policy consisting of social and economic integration and support for ‘identity development’. Since then, integration policies have changed along with the different governments and their visions.

Responsible for integration in the Netherlands is the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. The country’s new Civic Integration Act came into force on 1 January 2022. Now, municipalities are responsible for the integration of newcomers: both TCNs and beneficiaries of international protection who need to follow the civic integration pathways. The new pathways are meant to allow newcomers to learn the Dutch language more quickly, and to gain work experience at the same time. The new system laid out by the Civic Integration Act also gives more space for personal integration plans.

There are 3 learning routes which take into account differences among the different types of migrants:

• The B1 pathway: a focus on language learning and doing paid or unpaid work. Within 3 years, participants are meant to have learned to speak and write in Dutch at the B1 level. They can also participate in society by doing paid or unpaid work.
• The educational pathway: primarily for young people, this route allows them to learn Dutch at the B1 level or higher. The track also includes preparation for further education at the secondary vocational (MBO), professional (HBO) or academic level.
• The self-reliance pathway: a route for newcomers for whom neither the first nor second route is an option. They learn Dutch to a lower level (A1) and prepare for a ‘basic level of participation’ in Dutch society.

Currently, everyone between the ages of 18 and 65 who migrates to the Netherlands from outside the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Türkiye, is obliged to take a civic integration exam. Some other exceptions may apply and lead to dispensation from the civic integration exam.

This civic integration can be started while an individual is still abroad, before they arrive in the Netherlands – see a brochure in Dutch about starting the process from a third country. Each year, a report like this one from 2021 is presented to the government with statistics about those following civic integration courses abroad.

As of 1 July 2017, newcomers also must sign a declaration of solidarity, or Verklaring van Verbondenheit, which states that they agree to respect the shared Dutch values.

Finally, to request a naturalisation test (inburgeringsexamen voor naturalisatie or naturalisatietoets), an individual needs to have passed the civic integration programme described above and obtain a diploma. A ceremony for all new Dutch citizens is organised by municipalities every year on 15 December. Naturalised persons over 16 years old are required to attend and make a statement of commitment.

In the Netherlands, the minister for social affairs and employment reports back to the parliament on an annual basis, including on integration issues.

In addition, an evaluation of integration programmes can be produced upon the request of the lower house of the parliament. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) and Statistics Netherlands (CBS) further produce relevant reports.

Since 2016, an ongoing longer-term study on the 4 main migrant groups has been conducted, based on several integration indicators.

In addition, the international Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) points out that the Netherlands has well-developed integration policies score similar to other Western European states. At the same time, migrants do not enjoy long-term security to settle permanently, invest in integration and participate as full citizens. The country thus focuses on temporary integration and scores 57 out of 100 points on the MIPEX 2020, the average result being 49.

Finally, the Netherlands is one of the 14 countries included in the National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM) that measures refugee integration policies in 14 EU Member States and establishes a framework for evidence-based policy-making. The Netherlands scores 52.6 across indicators on the NIEM scale of 100, thus being seen as a ‘moderately supportive country’.

Law on foreigners

The 2000 Aliens Act, or Vreemdelingenwet 2000, is the main piece of legislation related to permits and foreigners’ rights and duties. The act is implemented through decrees, regulations and implementation guidelines.

Asylum law

The Netherlands does not have self-standing asylum legislation. The Aliens Act also lays down the asylum procedure and the reception conditions of asylum applicants.

Integration law

The latest amendment to the Dutch integration law, or Wet Inburgering, came into effect on 1 January 2022. See the latest changes described in the ‘Integration strategy and programme’ section above.

Citizenship law

The law on Dutch citizenship came into force on 1 January 1985 to replace the Dutch Nationality and Occupation Act of 1892. The reform of 1 April 2003 introduced the possibility of becoming Dutch via the ‘option’ statement; this is a quick and easy procedure open to foreign or stateless persons born in the Netherlands and with legal residence permits at the moment of application. The law was last amended on 1 April 2022.

Anti-discrimination law

Anti-discrimination is enforced by Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution (1814), last amended in 2023, to explicitly extend the prohibition of discrimination to sexual orientation and disability. TheEqual Treatment Act (1994, last amended in 2020) regulates the implementation of Article 1. It was enacted after 10 years of public and political debate, and translates international treaties into national law. Nowadays, Discriminatie.nl functions as a body at the national level that gathers data and coordinates anti-discrimination work. Additionally, the Municipal Anti-Discrimination Services Act ensures that anyone can report cases of discrimination in their place of residence. Furthermore, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights protects, advances, monitors and sheds light on human rights in the Netherlands, including in terms of anti-discrimination.

On the national level, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is the authority leading the governance of migrant integration. The civic integration exams are coordinated by the Institute for the Implementation of Education (DUO), part of the Ministry of Education.

In addition, municipalities have an important role in the implementation of the integration programme and naturalisation ceremonies, significantly extended after 1 January 2022 (see above in the section ‘Integration strategy and programme’). Local authorities also have a key role in the integration of newcomers in terms of providing housing, social services and assistance, school education, and more.

Civil society in the Netherlands lost its prominence as well as public funding with the 2012 dissolution of the National Consultative Body for Minorities, Landelijk Overleg Minderhedenbeleid.

Since then, migrant organisations and most other NGOs have had to secure alternative funding, often competing with other sectors to make integration a priority. An exception is the Platform Integration and Society (KIS), funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment – a cooperation between 2 organisations.

Local consultative bodies come and go, and several local authorities have moved away from the model of local immigrant consultative bodies and subsidies to support instead mixed bodies and project funding for the participation of all groups.

Non-profit organisations and local authorities can apply for financing through several EU funds. In addition, national and private funds are made available for service providers and other stakeholders working on migrant integration.

Where already available, the information below has been updated with the 2021-2027 national programmes under the EU funds.

EU funds

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in the Netherlands

• Details: The current AMIF programme period runs from 2021 to 2027 with €195 182 126 available for the Netherlands. The grant per project can go up to 75% of the project costs, but there are exceptions. The eligibility period for projects also varies for each objective. National priorities are still woven into the Dutch AMIF programme to reflect some of the pillars of the integration programme, namely language learning, integration into the labour market and social cohesion.
• National managing authority: The national managing authority for AMIF in the Netherlands is the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Uitvoering van beleid SZW.

European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in the Netherlands

• Details: The European Social Fund Plus is a European instrument to support employment, help people find (better) work and ensure fairer employment opportunities for EU citizens. The fund supports structural improvements in employment, education and social development and policies aimed at developing labour market skills. The current focus of the fund, compared to the previous period, is the recovery of European societies and economies after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund makes €413 million available for the Netherlands for the 2021-2027 period. See the ESF+ programme for the Netherlands. The budget is divided among the following priorities:
  • vulnerable workers and job seekers (Labor market regions, VSO/Pro, Sectors and DJI)
  • social Innovation
  • food aid
• National managing authority: The national managing authority for ESF in the Netherlands is the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Uitvoering van beleid SZW

Other EU funds for integration available in the Netherlands

ERASMUS+, the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe

See more about the national managing authorities which include Nuffic, Cinop, Nederlands Jeuginstituut

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the EU by correcting regional imbalances

National managing authority: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy

Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), offering material assistance to the most vulnerable or in need

National managing authority: Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Uitvoering van beleid SZW

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), supporting the development of rural economies and communities

National managing authority: Regiebureau POP

Other funds

Other public funding in the Netherlands

• Ministry of Justice and Security
• Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Uitvoering Van Beleid

Private funding in the Netherlands

• European Cultural Foundation
• Oranje Fonds
• Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland
• VSB Fund
• Stichting Democratie en Media
• Stichting DOEN!
• SKANfonds 

Providing information and advisory services

• The Dutch Advisory Committee on Migration Affairs

Providing integration services

• Dutch Council for Refugees (Vluchtelingen Werk) 
• Certified schools for civic integration course

Implementing the integration programme

• Institute for the Implementation of Education (DUO)

Campaigning

NA

Publishing statistics

• Statistics Netherlands
• Netherlands Institute for Social Research