Netherlands Final Country Profile
Nancy Kirkman
2022-12-14
Fertility
History and Background Information
The Netherlands, informally known as Holland, is located in Northwestern Europe, and consists of twelve provinces. It shares borders with Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and a North Sea coastline to the north and to the west. The official language of the country is Dutch, with other dialects recognized such as West Frisian, Dutch Low Saxon, Limburgish, and Yiddish to name a few. The four largest cities are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam is the country’s most populous city, as well as the nominal capital. The Hague holds the seat of the States General, Cabinet and the Supreme Court. The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe.
The Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, G10, NATO, OECD and WTO. The Hague hosts several international organizations and international courts.
The Netherlands was declared a unitary state on January 19th 1795 by Dutch republicans, with the help of the French revolutionaries. From 1806 - 1810, however, the Kingdom of Holland was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom through his brother Louis Bonaparte to control the region more effectively. The Dutch King chose to serve Dutch interests as opposed to Napoleon’s interests, however, and was forced to abdicate on July 1st 1810. Napoleon sent in an army, and the Netherlands became a part of the French empire until Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. Following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Southern Netherlands were added to the Northern region and created a strong, unified kingdom which bordered France. In 1830, the Cultivation System from the Dutch East Indies Company was introduced, which brought the country enormous wealth and self-sufficiency.
The Netherlands enslaved many territories during Colonial Imperialism, and abolished slavery in its colonies in 1863. In Suriname, the law stipulated there would be a mandatory 10-year transition, so enslaved people did not become free until 1873.
Government
The Netherlands operated as a constitutional monarchy since 1815, and transitioned into a parliamentary democracy in 1848. Dutch politics and governance are characterized by an effort to achieve broad consensus on important issues, regarding both the political community and society as a whole. In 2017, the economist ranked the Netherlands as the 11th most democratic country in the world.
The monarch is the head of state, although in actuality practices limited powers. The executive power is formed by the Council of Ministers. The head of government is the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, who is often the leader of the largest party of the coalition. The cabinet is responsible to the bicameral parliament, the States General, which also has legislative powers. The 150 members of the House of Representatives, the lower house, are elected in direct elections on the basis of party-list proportional representation. These elections are held once every four years, or earlier in cases of motions of no confidence or similar situations.
Fertility
Crude Birth Rate
Figure 1
Zooming In
Figure 2
The crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear (The World Bank). It is referred to as “crude” because the denominator includes many people who are not at the risk of childbearing, such a girls under the age of 15, women over the age of 50, and men (Poston & Bouvier 61). If you hover your mouse over the 2020 data point in figure 2 above, you will see that in 2020, the CBR was 9.9 (The World Bank). This means for every 10,000 people, there were 99 births. The CBR is not the best measure of fertility, considering the denominator includes men and pre-pubescent girls (and these people are not capable of giving birth).
General Fertility Rate
The General Fertility Rate (GFR) is calculated in a similar way to the CBR, and is statistically superior, because it restricts the denominator to women of childbearing age. I was not able to obtain time-series data for the Netherlands’ General Fertility Rate. Instead, I calculated it for the year 2020 by recording the number of women in their childbearing years (15-49) in 2020 in the Netherlands (3,632,988) (PopulationPyramid.net) and dividing it by the number of live births in 2020 (168,681) (Statista) to receive a GFR score of 21.5. This means that, in 2020, there were around 215 babies born in the Netherlands for every 10,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49.
Age Specific Fertility Rates, by cohort
Figure 3
The ASFR for women 15 - 19 has remained relatively low over time, with a slight increase from around 1960 - 1970, followed by a decrease between 1970 - 1980. Since 2000, the ASFR for women between 15 and 19 has been decreasing, and has remained around 5 since 2005.
Age Specific Fertility Rate, 20 - 24
Figure 4
The ASFR for women between 20 - 24 is significantly higher than the previous cohort, and you can tell because the scale of the Y axis is much higher. Since the 1970s, the ASFR for this cohort has been decreasing, and has remained around 30 since roughly 2012.
Age Specific Fertility Rate, 25 - 29
Figure 5
This cohort has the largest scale on the Y axis, because this is a societally appropriate age for women to be married and start their families. The difference between the ASFR for this cohort around 1960 compared to 2017, however, is drastic. In 1964, the ASFR for this cohort was 213.48. This means for every 1000 women between the ages of 25 and 29 in 1964 in the Netherlands, over 213 babies would be born to them. Compared to 2017, this number is 94.98, meaning over 94 babies would be born to 1000 women between these ages. There could be many reasons for the drastic decrease in ASFR for this cohort, like modern medicine allowing for women to have babies later in life, or cultural values changing, allowing for women to start a career before beginning a family.
Age Specific Fertility Rate, 30 - 34
Figure 6
This cohort in figure 6 is interesting because is signifies the beginning of the cohorts where the ASFR dips down between 1960 and 1980, and then steadily increases again. It does not quite reach the levels where it previously resided, yet it works steadily back up between the years of roughly 1980 and 2010. This is the first graph that does not resemble the others because of this reason. As previously stated, the reason for this may be that women are now waiting longer to have children due to different reasons.
Age Specific Fertility Rate, 35 - 39
Figure 7
Similar to the ASFR for women between 30 and 34, this cohort also experienced an increase in ASFR in recent years. Like all over fertility rates, the ASFR for this cohort decreased between 1960 and 1980, yet then experienced an increase between 1980 and 2020, although not as prominent as the ASFR for women between 30 and 34. For the same reason as with the previous graph, the increase in this ASFR may be explained due to women choosing to have children later in life as time goes on.
Age Specific Fertility Rate, 40 - 44
Figure 8
Age Specific Fertility Rate, 45- 49
Figure 9
The Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR) focuses on births to women according to their age. Usually, the female population is split into seven cohorts of year five year age ranges from 15 - 49. In 2017, the ASFR for women 15 - 19 was 2.77, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 in 2017 in the Netherlands, over 2 babies were born to them. The ASFR for women 20 - 24 was 26.31, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 20 and 24 in 2017 in the Netherlands, over 26 babies were born to them. The ASFR for women 25 - 29 was 94.98, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 25 and 29 in 2017 in the Netherlands, over 94 babies were born to them. The ASFR for women 30 - 34 was 127.76, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 30 and 34 in 2017 in the Netherlands, over 127 babies were born to them. The ASFR for women 35 - 39 was 61.03, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 35 and 39 in 2017 in the Netherlands, over 61 babies were born to them. The ASFR for women 40 - 44 was 10.4, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 40 and 44 in 2017 in the Netherlands, over 10 babies were born to them. Finally, the ASFR for women 45 - 49 was 0.50, meaning for every 1000 women between the ages of 45 and 49 in 2017 in the Netherlands, under one baby was born to them.
Notice how the Y-axis scale changes for each of these cohorts. The ASFR rates for women between the ages of 25 and 29 has the highest reaching axis, going all the way up to 210. Behind that, the second highest axis is the cohort of women between the ages of 30 and 34. Something interesting to note is that while historically the ASFR for women 25-29 was much higher than the ASFR for women 30 - 34, in contemporary times the ASFR for women 30 - 34 is now higher than the ASFR for women 25 - 29. This signals that women are waiting longer to have children than historically. This could be due to numerous factors, such as modern medicine allowing for women to have children later in life or women entering the workforce and then deciding to start families once they have established a career.
Age Specific Fertility Rate Over Time
Figure 10
Figure 10 is interesting because it shows the total ASFRs over time. The darker curves are farther back in time, while the lighter blue curves indicate the more recent ASFR values. One can look at this graph and compare the ASFR curve from the 1950s (the darkest blue lines) to the contemporary ASFR curve (the lightest blue lines). You can see that not only have ASFRs decreased in general, but also the point at which the values peak have changed among different age cohorts (in the 50s the highest peak was for women aged 25 - 29, and now the peak is for women aged 30 - 34). Note: while I have kept the ASFR graphs by cohort, figure 10 has been included in my updated report to show the fertility curve of each cohort over time.
Total Fertility Rate
Figure 11
The total fertility rate “provides a single fertility value… for a specific period of time” (Poston & Bouvier 66). The TFR is comprised on the number of births that a hypothetical group of 1,000 women would produce during their reproductive years (ages 15 - 49) if the same schedule of age fertility rates persisted. For the Netherlands, in 2020, the TFR was 1.46, meaning for every 1,000 women aged 15 - 49 in 2020 in the Netherlands, if the same schedule of ASFRs continue through the women’s reproductive careers, over 1 child would be born to them.
Zooming In
Figure 12
Gross Reproduction Rate
The Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR) is a “standardized rate similar to the TFR, except that it is based on the sum of age-specific rates that include only female births in the numerators” (Poston & Bouvier 71). In the Netherlands in 2020, there were 168,681 live births (Statista), 86,497 male and 82,184 female births (statista). The sex ratio for the Netherlands in 2020 is 105, meaning for every 100 girls born this year there were 105 boys. The multiplier in this instance is 0.487, which makes the GRR in the Netherlands in 2020 0.71. This means that the number of daughters 1000 women would bear is the ASFRs stayed constant through their childbearing years, and if none of those women died during their childbearing year, is 710 daughters. See below the GRR values for the years 2015 - 2020
## Year GRR
## 1 2015 0.750
## 2 2016 0.749
## 3 2017 0.740
## 4 2018 0.742
## 5 2019 0.722
## 6 2020 0.711Net Reproduction Rate
Figure 13
The Net Reproduction Rate (NRR) is the “measure of the number of daughters who will be born to a hypothetical cohort of 1000 mothers, taking into account the mortality of the mothers from the time of their birth” (Poston & Bouvier 72). The NRR for the Netherlands in 2020 was 0.75, meaning the average number of daughters 1000 women would bear if the ASFRs and mortality rates stayed constant is around 750 daughters. Since the GRR and NRR rates in 2020 in the Netherlands are fairly similar, this means mortality is relatively low.
Mortality
Crude Death Rate
Figure 14
The crude death rate is the “number of deaths in a population in a given year per 1000 members of the population” (Poston & Bouvier 165). In 2020, the CDR in the Netherlands was 9.7, meaning there were almost 10 deaths for every 1000 persons in the population in the Netherlands. As you can see from figure 14, the CDR jumps up significantly between 2019 and 2020. This is likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began sweeping the globe in early 2020.
Graphs Based off the Life Table
nMx - Age Specific Death Rate
Figure 15
The Age Specific Death Rate (ASDR) is a more precise way to measure mortality. The ASDR is the “number of deaths to persons in a specific age group per 1000 persons in that age group” (Poston & Bouvier 168). The ASDR is not crude, and should therefore be used to compare mortality rates between countries with “known differences in age composition” (P & B 168). This graph shows the different ASDR rates over time, from the 2000s to 2019. The darker blue lines indicate the ASDR values from farther back in time. The lighter blue lines indicate the more recent ASDR values. Looking at figure 15, one can see that the overall curve of the ASDR values has not changed, but that the values are decreasing over time. This is more consistent with my previous statement, in the CDR section, that mortality overall should be decreasing over time because the Netherlands and over Level 1 nations are consisently improving things like healthcare and education, things that contribute to lower mortality rates. See below for the ASDR values for each Age Cohort from the year 2019.
## Year Age.Group nMx
## 1 2019 < 1 year 0.003508898
## 2 2019 01 - 4 years 0.000145560
## 3 2019 05 - 9 years 0.000062800
## 4 2019 10 - 14 years 0.000076700
## 5 2019 15 - 19 years 0.000200285
## 6 2019 20 - 24 years 0.000259736
## 7 2019 25 - 29 years 0.000332605
## 8 2019 30 - 34 years 0.000427694
## 9 2019 35 - 39 years 0.000586665
## 10 2019 40 - 44 years 0.000947966
## 11 2019 45 - 49 years 0.001529170
## 12 2019 50 - 54 years 0.002582000
## 13 2019 55 - 59 years 0.004378475
## 14 2019 60 - 64 years 0.007332835
## 15 2019 65 - 69 years 0.011524660
## 16 2019 70 - 74 years 0.018438468
## 17 2019 75-79 years 0.030619889
## 18 2019 80 - 84 years 0.057404309
## 19 2019 85 + years 0.150360058It makes sense that the ASDR values are increasing as you move into older age cohorts; the death rate is increasing for people as they age. Specifically, the ASDR value, no matter the year, increases significantly around ages 75 - 79 years. After this age group, the ASDR increases past any value previously recorded. This indicates that those who live to age 79+ have a significantly higher chance of dying than previously in their lives (this makes sense to think about logistically, older people have a much higher risk of dying the older they grow).
nqx - Probability of Dying
Figure 16
nqx is similar to nMx, but instead it is the probability that one will die between the ages of x and x+n. nqx can be used as a replacement measure for nMx if nMx is not available.
lx - Number of People Left Alive at Age X
Figure 17
lx is the number of people left alive at age x. It has an inverse relationship with the previous two graphs. Just like the nMx graph, you can see from this graph that over time there are more people left alive at age x than compared to older data. Even in the last 20 years, the data shows us that more people are left alive at age x now than there used to be.
ndx - Number of People Dying
Figure 18
ndx is the number of people dying between ages x and x+n. As opposed to previous graphs, this graph does not show lower numbers as time goes on. My estimate for why this is occurring is because it is a total number of people, not a proportion or a ratio. Thus, this number does not take population growth into account. If the population of the Netherlands has increased since 2000, which it likely has, then the number of people dying will also have increased.
nLx - Person-Years lived
Figure 19
nLx reports “for each age interval the total number of years lived by all persons who enter that age interval while in the age interval” (P&B 175). For example, we know from the lx graph that in 2019, 97413 persons aged 50 - 54 were alive at the beginning of this age interval (note you can use your mouse to zoom in on the graphs where the lines are too close to differentiate). If none of those persons died during that age interval, they would have lived 487,065 years between that age interval. Looking at the nLx value for 2019 people aged 50 - 54, the value is 483,994. If you divide this number by 5, we can estimate how many people died during this age interval. This number should vaguely match the ndx value for persons between the ages of 50 and 54 in 2019.
Tx - Person-Years Lived Above Age x
Figure 20
Tx is the “total number of years lived by the population in that age interval and in all subsequent age intervals” (P&B 176). Figure 20 decreases almost in a linear fashion, meaning the number of years lived by people in a certain age group has a negative correlation with their age.
ex - Expectation of Life at Age x
Figure 21
The graph for ex is similar to the graph for Tx in shape, meaning it also has a negative correlation between the X and Y values. ex is the average number of years of life remaining for persons at the beginning of each age interval.
Life Tables
Here are the following life tables for the Netherlands, which I used to make all of those graphs featured above. They are for the years 2019, 2015, 2010, 2005 and 2000, respectively. All of the data used to make these life tables, and the subsequent graphs featured above, comes from data released by the World Health Organization.
Infant Mortality Rate
From 1950 - 2021
Figure 22
The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is the number of “deaths in a year to children under age 1 per 1000 babies born in the year” (P&B 201). Figure22 shows that infant mortality has been declining over time. The IMR value in 2021 was 3.3, meaning that for every 10000 babies born that year in the Netherlands, 33 of them died.
Zooming Out: From 1830 - 2020
Figure 23
This IMR graph, figure 23 is interesting because it looks at the IMR in the Netherlands from 1830 to 2020. You can see a spike in infant mortality between 1850 and 1880, and then the number steadily declines. There is also a spike right before 1950, around 1945. This spike intrigued me, and so upon further research I discovered that the Dutch suffered a famine between 1944 and 1945. Likely, this spike in infant mortality reflects the reality of that famine. I included this graph because it includes a more in depth analysis of the IMR in the Netherlands than the previous graph.
Life Expectancy
At Birth
Figure 24
Figure 24 shows the life expectancy at birth in the Netherlands from 2000 to 2019. As described by Poston & Bouvier, the life expectancy at birth is “the average expected number of years of life to be lived” (165). This number is generally a good measure of the overall health of a country. The life expectancy for males and females has increased, although the female life expectancy rate remains consistently higher. The gap, however, is closing slightly. The value for female life expectancy at birth in 2019 in the Netherlands was 83.15, meaning, after birth, females are expected to live past their 83rd birthday. The equivalent value for males was 80.40, meaning males were expected to live just past their 80th birthday. The average life expectancy at birth value, meaning it is averaged between males and females, is 81.79. According to Macrotrends.net, who sourced their data from the UN, the average life expectancy at birth for Europe in 2019 was 78.33. This means that the Netherlands, in 2019 but likely after as well, has a “healthier” society than at least half of the other European countries.
At Age 60
Figure 25
Similar to the graph for life expectancy at birth, figure 25, graph of life expectancy in the Netherlands at age 60 shows an increase in life expectancy for males and females alike over time. Still, the life expectancy for females remains higher than males, although the gap is closing incrementally over time.
The value for female life expectancy at age 60 in 2019 in the Netherlands was 25.13. This implies that once Dutch females turn 60, they are expected to live for over another 25 years. The equivalent male value was 22.96, meaning once Dutch males turn 60, they are expected to live for just under another 23 years. If you take the time to do that math quickly (the female life expectancy value at birth was 83, yet 60 + 25 = 85), you might notice there is a discrepancy by a few years. This data was collected from the same source, the World Health Organization, and so I cannot explain for these discrepancies. However, the math is only off by a couple of years, so I do not think this is a serious issue.
Covid Mortality
Figure 26
There are a lot of countries featured in this graph, but however I am including it to show the variability between the number of Covid cases in different European countries. Like the rest of these graphs, figure 26 is interactive, so you can hover your mouse above different data points to see which point is representing which country. The countries that show relatively low total number of Covid cases are all smaller European countries. A better measure would be a per capita measure. Note- these are total Covid cases, not Covid deaths. The next graph will show the Covid deaths per 100,000 people across these same European nations, to get a better idea of deaths caused by Covid in the Netherlands compared to other European nations.
Figure 27
Figure 27 has more variation. I was shocked to find out that the country with the most deaths due to Covid per 100,000 people, and by a long way, was the Netherlands! If you hover your mouse above the blue dot that sits up around 600 deaths / 100,000 people on the Y axis, you’ll see that dot corresponds with the value for the Netherlands.
Figure 28
Figure 28 shows the reported Covid deaths for different European countries within the last 7 days per 100,000 people (according to the WHO, this data is up-to-date, and reflects current day COVID statistics). By hovering your mouse over different data points in the graph, you can see that countries with the highest Covid deaths reported in the last 7 days per capita are Belarus, Bulgaria, Poland, Ukraine, Spain, France, Belgium and Russia. In this graph, the Netherlands falls just on the lower end of the middle values- with a Covid death rate per capita in the last week of 1.65. This means that Covid has killed just over 1 person out of 100,000 people in the last week in the Netherlands.
Leading Causes of Death in 2020
Figure 29
Figure 29 shows the leading causes of death in the Netherlands in the year 2020. The size of the points on the graph corresponds with the number of deaths caused by each different disease/ medical complication. The largest points caused the most number of deaths in the Netherlands in 2020. The most significant leading cause of death in the Netherlands in 2020 was Neoplasms, a form of tumor… so one could say the leading cause of death in 2020 was cancer. Following that was diseases of the circulatory system, such as heart attacks and high blood pressure. The third largest leading cause of death in 2020 was mental and behavioral disorders. I do not know exactly what this category includes in its entirety but I would estimate it includes depression, anxiety, BDP, and all other mental disorders that can lead to suicide.
Migration
Internal & International Migration
According to Poston & Bouvier, internal migration refers to “the change of permanent residence within a country, involving a geographical move that crosses a political boundary, usually a county ot county-type geographical unit” (P&B 215). International migration, on the other hand, is defined by Poston & Bouvier as “migration that occurs between countries” (P&B 236). Both internal and international migration can experience in-migration and out-migration.
Figure 30: Inhabitants of the twelve Dutch Provinces in 2022
In- Migration
In-migration is the number of people entering a country or location. According to Teresa Sullivan, in-migration contributes to the increase of population in the area of destination in two ways: “1) the net number of in-migrants constitutes a direct effect of population increase. 2) the number of children born to the in-migrants after their arrival is the indirect effect” (Sullivan 10.5.22, slide 16).
Figure 31
Figure 31 shows the increase in the number of immigrants the Netherlands has seen over the last 20 years. Between 2001 and 2005 there was a small decrease, and then the number of in-migrants steadily increased since then, with a sharp spike in the year 2019.
A country’s in-migration rate can be calculated by dividing the number of in-migrants for that year by the population, and then multiplying that number by one thousand.
Out- Migration
Out-migration refers to “the migration of persons from an area of origin” (P & B 218). A country’s out-migration rate can be calculated by dividing the number of out-migrants for that year by the population, and then multiplying that number by one-thousand.
Figure 32
Looking at Figure 32, one can see that out-migration from the Netherlands has increased in the last 20 years, with a slight drop in the number of out-migrants from 2006 to 2009.
Gross Migration
Gross migration is “the sum of migration for an area and is comprised of the in-migration into the area plus the out-migration from the area” (P & B 218). A country’s gross migration rate (GMR) can be calculated by adding the number of in-migrants and out-migrants for that year, then dividing by the population for that year, and multiplying that number by one thousand. Figure 4 below shows the GMR in the Netherlands between the years 2000 and 2021 (calculated by author).
Figure 33
According to Figure 33, one can see that the Netherlands experienced a significant increase in GMR between the years 2005 and 2019, with a sharp decline occurring between 2019 and 2020, which can be accounted for by the decline in in-migrants entering the Netherlands in 2020 compared to 2019.
Net Migration
Net migration refers to “the migration balance of an area, consisting of the number of in-migrants minus the number of out-migrants; the net balance may be positive (representing a net population gain to the area), or negative (representing a loss), or, conceivably, zero” (P & B 218). A country’s net migration rate can be calculated by subtracting the number of out-migrants from the number of in-migrants, then dividing that number by the population for the year, and multiplying that number by one thousand. Below, Figure 5 displays the Net Migration Ration (NMR) in the Netherlands from the year 2000 to 2021 (Calculated by author)
Figure 34
Between the years 2001 and 2005, the Netherlands’ Net Migration Ratio took a sharp decline, meaning at the time the country was seeing much more out-migration than in-migration. After 2005, the country’s NMR has been increasing incrementally, and is currently at one of the highest points it has seen in the last 20 years.
Migration Efficiency Ratio
Migration efficiency is “an area’s net migration divided by its gross migration. Migration in area may be efficient or inefficient. For example, if there has been a lot of in-migration and little out-migration, then the migration is positively efficient” (P & B 218). To calculate the migration efficiency ratio, you divide the net-migration number (in-migrants minus out-migrants) by the gross migration number (in-migrants plus out-migrants), and then multiply that number by 100 Below, Figure 35 shows the Migration Efficiency Ratio for the Netherlands from the years 2000 - 2021 (calculated by author)
Figure 35
As shown in Figure 35 above, the Migration Efficiency Ratio in the Netherlands between the years 2000 and 2021 have varied greatly. Between the years 2003 and 2006, migration was negatively efficient. For the other years, migration has been positively efficient.
Population Pyramid
Figure 36 below shows the population pyramid for the Netherlands for the year 2020. This population pyramid appears to be a mix between a stationary and a constrictive population pyramid, showing aspects of both. Overall, both of the sexes are split pretty evenly and there does not appear to be a surplus of one sex over the other. The most represented age group is the population between the ages of 50 and 54. There does not appear a certain age cohort that has experienced significant rates of low fertility. The least represented age group is the population between the ages of 80 and 100, which makes sense because this population is much more vulnerable to death as death is related closely to age.
Figure 36
Demographic Transition Theory
The Netherlands is the fourth stage of demographic transition theory, also known as the incipient stage of demographic transition theory. This phase is characterized by low fertility and low mortality rates, both of which the Netherlands is currently experiencing and has been for quite some time.
Urbanization
Percentages of the population living in an urban area
Figure 37
As seen above, figure 37 graphs the percentage of the population in the Netherlands living in urban areas (as a percent of the total population) from the years 1960 to 2021. In the year 1960, just under 60% of the population was living in an urban area. Over time, this number has grown to 92%, meaning that a very small portion of the population in the Netherlands in the present day is living in a rural area.
Population Policy in the Netherlands
A population policy is a “deliberately constructed arrangement or program through which governments influence, directly or indirectly, demographic change.” (Sullivan, 4.28.22, 4) Typically, population policies are strategies implemented by the government, or less frequently, NGOs, to attain specific goals regarding population change. Normally, countries exhibiting “demographic conditions of too high or too low growth with often develop policies whose goals are to try to restore the demographic balance.” (Sullivan, 4.28.22, 4) During WWI, up to 900,000 Belgians fled to the Netherlands, yet most of them returned following the end of the conflict. In the 1930s, many Jews and other refugees arrived from Germany and Austria, and by 1940 there were about 20,000 refugees from those two countries in the Netherlands. After WWII, immigration resulting from the Dutch colonial heritage began, including Dutch returnees and the descendants of those who had lived and worked in Indonesia, Suriname and the Caribbean. Between 1945 and 1965, some 300,000 people moved from Indonesia to the Netherlands. Between the end of WWII and 1974, the Netherlands received guest workers through labor recruitment programs. These workers came primarily from Mediterranean countries, including Spain, Turkey, Morocco, and Yugoslavia. In contemporary times, nearly 44,000 asylum requests were lodged in the Netherlands in 2015, with roughly 18,700 applications coming from Syria and 7,400 coming from Eritrea. The Netherlands experiences four main streams of immigration: asylum seekers, family reunification arrivals, intra-EU migration (particularly from Poland), and longstanding migration from the Caribbean parts of the previous imperial Dutch kingdom. The issue of naturalization, and dual citizenship in particular, has emerged as a point of debate in the Dutch government. The Netherlands practices both jus sanguinis (citizenship is passed through parents), as well as a limited form of jus solis (citizenship is acquired by children born in the Netherlands to parents who were also born in the Netherlands, even if those parents do not have Dutch citizenship themselves). Dutch nationals who take on another citizenship generally have to forfeit their Dutch passport. Also, most of those who become Dutch by naturalization must surrender their other nationality. Regarding migrant children, in 2012 the Labor Party coalition government established a Children’s Amnesty regulation, which in essence grants amnesty for children who had lived without legal status in the Netherlands for five or more years. In 2017, a coalition agreement was passed which largely reflected the coalition’s goals of pulling to the right, in an effort to deal with the perception of stronger anti-immigrant sentiment throughout the nation.
Sources Cited
Click on these links below to access the data used to compile this report
Statista: Total Fertility Rates of the Netherlands 1840 - 2020
World Bank: Crude Death Rate in the Netherlands from 1960- 2020
Statista: Leading Causes of Death in the Netherlands in 2020
Statista: Net Migration Rate in the Netherlands from 1950 to 2021
Statista: Immigration, emigration, and migration balance in the Netherlands from 1995 to 2021
Statista: Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2022, by province