Migration from the Randstad decreases slightly, especially people in their thirties leave
Statistics Netherlands | CBS
Source published: 11 November 25
Migration from the Randstad decreases slightly, especially people in their thirties leave
In 2024, nearly 67 thousand people moved from the Randstad to municipalities outside it, with especially those in their thirties leaving. Despite this, the population grows slightly faster than elsewhere due to immigration and births.
In 2024, nearly 67 thousand people moved from the Randstad to municipalities outside the region, 2 thousand fewer than the previous year. More people still leave the Randstad than move there. Especially people in their thirties are moving away. However, the population there grows slightly faster than elsewhere in the Netherlands. This is due to more immigration and births, and fewer deaths. This was reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Between 2013 and 2021, migration from the Randstad increased sharply, reaching 75 thousand movers. Since then, the number has slightly decreased again.
From the Randstad
Balance
x 1,000
Net 14 thousand people left
In 2024, nearly 53 thousand people moved to the Randstad, resulting in a net outflow of 14 thousand people. The regions outside the Randstad gained population. Between 2006 and 2016, the opposite was true: the Randstad gained residents through migration.
Especially people in their thirties leave
Between 2015 and 2024, especially people in their thirties left the Randstad: over 52 thousand more people moved to another municipality than vice versa. These are mainly couples, with or without children. Also, nearly 48 thousand children moved along net.
People over forty also move out of the Randstad more often than they move in, but these numbers are smaller than for people in their thirties and children. Young adults do the opposite: in 2024, nearly 68 thousand 18- to 25-year-olds and over 16 thousand 25- to 30-year-olds moved to the Randstad net. For this group, study, work, and independent living play an important role. From age thirty, housing preferences (a more suitable home or living environment) and proximity to family become more important.
Most municipalities attract residents from the Randstad
In 2024, most municipalities had a positive migration balance with the Randstad. This means more people moved from the Randstad to those municipalities than vice versa.
Exceptions are the university cities Groningen, Enschede, Wageningen, Tilburg, Eindhoven, and Maastricht. Many recent graduates leave these cities for the Randstad to work. Also, in eastern North Brabant, there are relatively many municipalities where slightly more people moved to the Randstad, although these are small numbers.
The municipalities attracting the most new residents from the Randstad are nearby, such as in Flevoland, the Veluwe, Schouwen-Duiveland, the River Area, and northern North Holland. Some are further away, such as in Drenthe, the Achterhoek, or Twente.
Most people moved from the major cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Leiden and their immediate surroundings.
Balance of people moving from the Randstad, 2024
Increasing gap in housing prices
The increased migration from the Randstad between 2013 and 2021 coincides with growing differences in housing prices between regions inside and outside the Randstad. Especially in Amsterdam, prices rose relatively sharply between 2013 and 2019. In 2013, owner-occupied homes were on average 88 thousand euros (43 percent) more expensive than in Drenthe. In 2019, that difference increased to 294 thousand euros (more than twice as expensive).
The price difference between Amsterdam and Gelderland also increased: from 53 thousand euros in 2013 to 235 thousand euros in 2019. These rising price differences made moving out of the Randstad financially more attractive. After 2022, the price differences between Amsterdam and regions outside the Randstad decreased somewhat. Housing prices in the municipality of Utrecht also rose relatively strongly, but less than in Amsterdam.
Gelderland
Zeeland
Amsterdam (municipality)
Utrecht (municipality)
euro (x 1,000)
Population in Randstad still grows slightly faster than outside
Although more people move from the Randstad to other regions than vice versa, the population there still grows slightly faster. In 2024, the number of inhabitants in the Randstad increased by 5.9 per thousand inhabitants, compared to 5.5 per thousand outside.
This difference is because immigrants settle somewhat more often in the Randstad. The population there is also younger on average, and more children are born than people die. Outside, it is the opposite, causing the population to grow less or even shrink. This is especially the case at the edges of the Netherlands.
Moves to and from institutions are excluded from this study, so people moving from, for example, an asylum seekers center to a home are not counted.
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