Flevoland grows due to births, relocations, and migration
As in previous years, Flevolands population grew the strongest, with over 14 people per thousand inhabitants. The largest growth was in the municipality of Noordoostpolder (24 per thousand), but Almere, Lelystad, Zeewolde, Urk, and Dronten also grew relatively strongly (11 to 13 per thousand).The population growth in Flevoland has multiple causes. The inhabitants are relatively young, resulting in more children being born than people dying. The natural increase, the difference between the number of births and deaths, is over 4 per thousand inhabitants, higher than in other provinces. More people also move to Flevoland than leave, due to many new houses being built. Migration from abroad also contributes to the growth.
Population decline in Groningen
After Flevoland, the population grew strongest in North Holland, Gelderland, and Overijssel (6 per thousand). Groningen is the only province where the number of inhabitants decreased. This is partly because more people die there than are born. The registration center in Ter Apel also influences population development in Groningen: many status holders temporarily register with the municipality of Westerwolde and later move to other municipalities. In 2025, more people left Westerwolde than arrived (immigration), while this was the opposite in 2024.
In Friesland, Limburg, Drenthe, and Zeeland, population growth remains below 4 per thousand inhabitants. In Zeeland, growth has increased in recent years, mainly due to relocations from other Dutch provinces.