The Dutch statistics agency, CBS, said that the death rate in Netherlands It exceeded the number of births for the first time since 1900, adding in its latest report that the total growth last year – which took 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 published 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 shrunk for the first time is unique,” said CBS analyst Dick Ter Steg. The oldest comparative figures produced by the Netherlands Statistics Agency date back to 1900.
The fact that more people died than expected is partly due to the coronavirus, but no explanation has been found for some of the deaths.
“The birth rate has been declining and the death rate has been increasing for years, so this may be a temporary decrease,” Ter Steg said. “But if excess deaths stop this year, more children will be born than die.”
In total, the population of the Netherlands increased by 227,000 in the past year, more than double the 2021 figure 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 war accounted for a large part of the overall increase, followed by those from Syria, Turkey, India and Poland. By December 1, 89,000 Ukrainian citizens had registered with the Dutch local authorities, according to Dutchnews, which was reviewed by Al Arabiya.net.
Only nine of the Netherlands’ 344 local authority areas – including the Wadden Sea island of Terschelling – have declined in population. The largest growth was recorded on the former hunting island of Orc, with an increase of 13 people per 1,000.
Almere and Zeewold, also in Flevoland, also absorbed more than average new arrivals. While the population of Amsterdam has grown by about 38,000 people, including 20,000 people who 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.