The Dutch statistics agency, CBS, said the death rate in Holland It surpassed the number of births for the first time since 1900, adding in its latest report that last year’s total growth – which brought the population to 17.8 million – was due entirely to increased immigration.
The figures, which include estimates for December, are an update of an earlier forecast released in October.
In total, 168,000 babies were born in the Netherlands in 2022, while 169,000 people died. “The fact that the population has actually decreased for the first time is unique,” said CBS analyst Dick Ter Steg. The oldest comparative data produced by the Dutch Statistical Agency dates back to 1900.
The fact that more people have died than expected is partly due to the coronavirus, but no explanation has been found for some deaths.
“The birth rate has been declining and the death rate has been increasing for years, so this could be a temporary decrease,” said Ter Steg. “But if the excess deaths stop this year, more babies will be born and die.”
In total, the Netherlands’ population has increased by 227,000 in the past year, more than double the figure from 2021, when coronavirus measures slowed immigration.
Overall, 402,000 people immigrated to the Netherlands in 2022, an increase of 150,000 from 2021, while 174,000 people left. Ukrainians fleeing the war accounted for most of the overall increase, followed by those from Syria, Turkey, India and Poland. By December 1, 89,000 Ukrainian citizens had registered with Dutch local authorities, according to “Dutchnews” and Al Arabiya.net reviewed it.
Only nine of the 344 local authority areas in the Netherlands, including the island of Terschelling in the Wadden Sea, have experienced population decline. The greatest growth was recorded on the former Orc hunting island, with an increase of 13 people for every 1,000.
Almere and Zeewold, also in Flevoland, also absorbed more than average new arrivals. While the population of Amsterdam has grown by around 38,000 people, of which 20,000 people live in the nearby town of Wiesp, which is now part of the capital.
For its part, the newspaper “Paroll” reported that the population of Amsterdam is now 921,000 people.
