Şeyma Erkul Dayanç
30 June 2026•Update: 30 June 2026
Immigration to the Netherlands declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, driven by a drop in the number of asylum seekers and highly skilled migrants from outside the EU, according to figures released Tuesday by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
A total of 309,000 people immigrated to the Netherlands last year, around 8,000 fewer than in 2024, the national statistics office said.
About 35,000 asylum seekers arrived in 2025, down by more than 4,000 from a year earlier. Asylum seekers accounted for roughly 11% of all immigrants.
The agency also reported a continued decline in highly skilled migrants from outside the EU.
Their number fell from 26,000 in 2022 to 14,000 in 2025, with the sharpest decrease recorded among migrants from India.
CBS said about half of all immigrants came from outside the EU and the European Economic Area, while 37% arrived from EU and EEA countries.
Another 14% were Dutch nationals returning after living abroad.
The decline follows a peak in immigration in 2022, when arrivals rose sharply after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Between 2006 and 2022, immigration increased almost every year.
