Population; sex, age, generation and migration background, 1 Jan; 1996-2022

CONTENTS

1. General information
2. Definitions and explanation of symbols
3. Links to relevant tables and articles
4. Sources and methods
5. Further information

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Population in The Netherlands on 1 January by sex, age, marital status, generation and migration background.

CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are being replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification is being implemented gradually in tables and publications on population by origin. 

Data available from 1996 to 2022.

Status of the figures:
All figures in the table are final.

Changes per 13 January 2023:
None, this table was discontinued.

When will new figures be published?
No longer applicable. This table is succeeded by the table Population; sex, age, country of origin, country of birth, 1 January. See section 3.

2. DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS

Definitions:

Population
The total number of people residing in The Netherlands. 
Only persons recorded in the population register of a Dutch municipality are included in the population. In principle, every person who lives in the Netherlands for an indefinite period is included in the population register of the municipality. Persons belonging to the population of the Netherlands for whom no permanent place of residence can be designated, are included in the population register of the municipality of The Hague. The population registers do not include the persons living in the Netherlands to whom exemption rules apply with regard to inclusion in the population registers (for example diplomats and NATO military personnel) and persons without legal residence in the Netherlands.

Age 
The number of whole years that have passed since someone's date of birth and 1 January of the reference year.

Marital status
Legal status involving someone's rights and competences as determined by legal marriage and registered partnership.

Generation
Further seduction of persons with a migration background to persons with a first generation migration background and persons with a second generation migration background.
Person with a first generation migration background:
Person born abroad with at least one parent who was born abroad.
Person with a second-generation migration background:
Person born in the Netherlands who has at least one parent who was born abroad.

Origin
Characteristic showing with which country someone actually is closely related given their own country of birth and that of their parents.
The migration background of a person with a first-generation migration background is defined as his or her country of birth.
The migration background of a person with a second-generation migration background is defined as his or her mother's country of birth, unless the mother's country of birth is the Netherlands. In that case, the migration background is defined as the father's country of birth. The group with a second-generation migration background may also be divided into persons with one parent born abroad and persons with two parents born abroad.

Explanation of symbols:

Empty cell	: figure not applicable
. 		: figure is unknown, insufficiently reliable or confidential
*		: provisional figure 
**		: revised provisional figure

3. LINKS TO RELEVANT TABLES AND ARTICLES

Relevant tables
Population; sex, age, country of origin, country of birth, 1 January
Population, households and population dynamics; from 1899

General information on population statistics is available at the themepage Population.

4. SOURCES AND METHODS

Trend break in migration background 
In principle, persons are classified under currently existing countries. This was not yet the case for people with a migration background from countries that have since fallen apart, because only the current country at the time of birth is registered in the population register. This includes persons with a migration background from the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, the former Czechoslovakia and the former Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.
From 2021 onwards, these persons are also being classified under the new countries that have emerged from these countries on the basis of birthplace information.

Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more divorced and widowed respectively).
Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorces after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'.
From 2010 all marital statuses are available.

Accuracy and reliability
In a limited number of cases the data received by Statistics Netherlands are incomplete. In such cases the missing data are estimated.

Used external sources
The figures are based on information as reported to Statistics Netherlands by the municipal population registrations. 

5. FURTHER INFORMATION

Infoservice

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