Overview
- At the start of 2025 the Netherlands counted about 3.76 million people aged 65 and over and 3.72 million under 20, marking a demographic crossover.
- The 2070 population is projected at 20.6 million, with a likely range of 17.5 to 23.9 million and a central estimate that is 70,000 lower than in the 2024 outlook.
- Population growth is expected to rely mainly on net migration, with the surplus easing from roughly 88,000 in 2026 to 70,000 in 2030, which slows overall growth after 2033.
- Deaths are forecast to exceed births through 2029, with recent annual births near 166,000 and deaths around 172,000 before births rise toward about 198,000 by 2038.
- The working-age share falls from about 59% to roughly 55% by around 2040, while the 80-plus population grows from just over 0.9 million in 2025 to about 2.1 million by 2070.