| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Surinamese – 200,000 (Indo-Surinamese only) Indian – 65,399 Afghan – 54,991 Pakistani – 27,261 Sri Lankan – 14,708 Bangladeshi – 3,504 Nepalese – 2,652 Bhutanese – 342 Maldivians – 39 All figures are the 2022 CBS population estimates for the Netherlands, except the estimates of the Indo-Surinamese population.[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Majority:Significant Minority:Other Minority: | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
South Asians in the Netherlands (Dutch:Zuid-Aziaten in Nederland), also referred to asSouth Asian Dutch (Zuid-Aziatische Nederlanders) orDutch South Asians (Nederlandse Zuid-Aziaten), are citizens or residents of theNetherlands whose ancestry traces back toSouth Asia. They are a subcategory ofDutch Asians.
The majority of the South Asian community in the Netherlands areIndo-Caribbean and migrated mainly fromSuriname, a formerDutch colony in theCaribbean andSouth America. There is a smaller amount ofSouth Asians, coming directly from South Asia, mainly fromIndia,Pakistan andAfghanistan.[3] South Asians in the Netherlands retain their cultural and religious identities, with many establishing their own communities while also integrating into Dutch society.
The initial South Asian settlers in the Netherlands were Indian traders, small-scale entrepreneurs, and textile industry workers fromPunjab who arrived in the 1940s and 1950s.[4] In the 1970s, Pakistanis migrated followed by smaller groups of Indians and Sri Lankans, including those fleeingUganda during theAsian expulsion. Early migrants primarily sought employment, often working in unskilled jobs.[5] Between the 1980s and 2002,Afghan refugees andSri Lankan Tamils left violence in their native countries and immigrated to the Netherlands.[6][7]
However, most people of South Asian descent in the Netherlands as of 2022 are primarily ofIndo-Surinamese descent, known locally asHindustanis. After theindependence of Suriname in 1975, many Indo-Surinamese people migrated to the Netherlands and became Dutch residents. A significant number of them settled inThe Hague and other large Dutch cities. In 1980, there was amilitary coup in Suriname, which caused another wave of Indo-Surinamese migrants.[4]
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After the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colony ofSuriname, the Dutch government signed theAnglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870-1871 with theUnited Kingdom, which outlined the recruitment of contract workers fromBritish India.[8] Indians began migrating to Suriname in 1873 from what was thenBritish India asindentured labourers, mostly from the modern-day Indian states ofUttar Pradesh,Bihar,Bengal and the surrounding regions.[9]
Up until the independence of Suriname in 1975, all the Indo-Surinamese were formally part of theKingdom of the Netherlands and thus owned a Dutch passport. After the independence a significant portion of the Indo-Surinamese population migrated to the Netherlands, thereby retaining their Dutch passport. Currently there are more than 120,000 Indo-Surinamese living in the Netherlands, of which the majority, about 50,000, inThe Hague and surroundings.[citation needed]
Indo-Surinamese are also known in both the Netherlands and Suriname by theDutch termHindoestanen, derived from the wordHindustani, lit., "someone fromHindustan". Hence, when South Asians migrated to Suriname they were referred to as Hindustanis, people of South Asian origin.[10]
There are also Indo-Surinamese people who have migrated to the Netherlands fromFrench Guiana or the formerNetherlands Antilles; nowCuraçao,Aruba,Bonaire,Sint Maarten,Sint Eustatius andSaba.
There is also a small group ofIndo-Guyanese people, mainly because manyGuyanese people in the Netherlands are (descendants of) migrants who previously lived in Suriname and who migrated to the Netherlands together with Surinamese people after Suriname's independence in 1975.
In 2017, 8,630 Indians immigrated to the Netherlands, ranking as the second largest immigrant group after theSyrians. Most were skilled ininformation technology and information services.[11][12] Moreover, the number of Indians who came to study in the Netherlands has more than tripled: from 425 migrant students in 2012 to 1,400 migrant students in 2017.[citation needed] Between January and November 2019, 6,322 Indians immigrated to the Netherlands.[13] Around 45 percent of Indian immigrants leave within six months of arriving in the Netherlands.[14]
As of 2019, about 48,724 people of Indian immigrant descent lived in the Netherlands.[15] Most of them live in the provinces ofNorth Holland,South Holland andNorth Brabant.
From 2016 to 2022 the population of Indians in the Netherlands doubled from 32,682 to 65,399.This number excludes Indo-Surinamese individuals.[16]
In December 2001, the High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora estimated the population ofPIOs and Indian citizens at 215,000.[17] According to the Dutch governmental institutionStatistics Netherlands (CBS), 65,339 individuals were of Indian origin as of 31 May 2022.[18] TheEmbassy of India states that the Netherlands has the "second largest population of people of Indian origin in Europe (next only to UK)" and that it is "home to about 220,000 Indian and Surinamese Hindustani Diaspora."[19] TheNetherlands India Chamber of Commerce & Trade (NICCT) states that there are about 25,000 Indians or persons of Indian origin, excluding the Surinamese Hindustanis.[20][dead link]
In 2014, 44,000 Dutch Afghans resided in the Netherlands, one of the largestAfghan diaspora communities[21] as well as one of the mainAsian communities in the Netherlands. Most of the first generation immigrants settled in theNetherlands between 1992 and 2001.[22]
Afghan refugees began entering into the Netherlands in the late 1980s, fleeing violence in their homeland.[23] In the decade up to 2002, the Netherlands was the second-most popular destination in Europe for Afghan asylum-seekers, behind Germany; they made up more than 20% of the total of roughly 170,000 applications for asylum filed by Afghans in Europe.[23] The Dutch government settled them in a variety of areas with the policy aim of preventing the formation of large immigrant communities in the cities.[23] The number of asylum requests peaked in 1998.[24]
As a result of the increasing inflow of asylum-seekers, the Dutch government set up a war crimes investigation unit in the late 1990s; the first refugees they charged with war crimes were Heshamuddin Hesam and Habibulla Jalalzoy, both former members of the Afghan intelligence serviceKHAD during the 1980sSoviet–Afghan War. Their presence, evoked a great deal of unrest and fear among the Netherlands' Afghan community.[25] Charged withabusing prisoners in a 2005 trial, they received sentences of 12 and 9 years in prison, respectively.[26]
In 2003, the Netherlands signed a voluntary repatriation agreement with theUnited Nations High Commission for Refugees and the transitional government of Afghanistan, recognising the right of Afghan refugees in the Netherlands to return to Afghanistan and establishing procedures.[27] However, by 2007, only 800 had returned; most refugees feel that public safety, women's rights, and educational conditions in Afghanistan are insufficient. Young people who choose to return may also encounter language difficulties, as they exhibitlanguage shift towards Dutch and away from Dari.[28]
As of 1 January 2022, statistics published by the Netherlands'Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek indicated that the Pakistani population (i.e., individuals either born in Pakistan or with at least one Pakistani parent) numbered 27,261.[29]
Pakistanis from urban areas began migrating to the Netherlands in the 1960s, later than Pakistanis migrating to the United Kingdom. A substantial number of immigrants come from the Punjab province.[30]
Due to the language barrier and racial discrimination, many Pakistanis face barriers in the labor market. Pakistanis often work in lower-status jobs that they would not have considered in Pakistan, demonstrating a shift in social mobility within the context of migration.[30]
One of the major issues for Pakistanis in the Netherlands is racial discrimination – specifically a racial hierarchical structure in Dutch society. Following the 9/11 attacks in the United States, racial tensions escalated towards Muslims. Mosques were attacked and Muslims were subjected to scrutiny. The media portrayed Muslims as anti-Western aiding the hostility the Dutch felt.[30]
Employment opportunities are limited until official refugee status is attained which can take many years. Those with professional credentials from Pakistan find it difficult to secure jobs on par with their education and qualifications. Competition in the labor market coupled with discriminatory practices compound the challenges.[30]
Two Pakistani political leaders were convicted for threatening to kill anti-Islam lawmakerGeert Wilders.[31][32][33]
The Netherlands has no extradition treaty with Pakistan.[33]
Around 20,000 Tamils, mostly fromSri Lanka, are estimated to be living in Netherlands. The relationship between Tamils andDutch dates back to thecolonial era. TheDutch East India Company was active inSri Lanka andSouthern India. In Sri Lanka, most of Tamil areas were underDutch Ceylon rule between 1640 and 1796. During Dutch rule someDutch loanwords were adopted in Sri Lankan Tamil language. Back then,Tamils andMalayalis were known as "Malabars" among the Portuguese and Dutch.
The earliest Tamil immigrants to Netherlands came in the 1980s, and were primarily educated personnel, businessmen and students. When theSri Lankan civil war broke out, many Tamils migrated 1984 onward were asylum seekers. Between 1984 and 1987, more than 3,500 Tamil men arrived in Netherlands. A second wave of Tamil refugees came between 1990 and 1992, which included women and children.[34] Since 1995, the population of Sri Lankans in Netherlands has doubled, in 1996 there were 5,600 and in 2010 there were 10,346 people.[35]
There is a low unemployment rate among Dutch Tamils, because they have shown willingness to accept jobs, that is below their qualifications. They attach great importance to education and also pay attention to their children's education.[35] Dutch Tamils live mostly in small towns likeZeist,Utrecht,Nieuwegein,Roermond,Den Bosch,Breda,Den Helder andHoorn, because the former refugees were settled away from big cities likeAmsterdam.[35]
Most of Tamils living in Netherlands areHindus and there are many Tamil Hindu temples (Kovils) in Netherlands like Vinayagar Temple inDen Helder or Murugan Temple inRoermond. There are TamilChristian minorities, who belong toCatholic andEvangelist churches.
Nepalis in the Netherlands are immigrants, expatriates and international students fromNepal in theNetherlands, as well as Dutch people of Nepalese origin. As of 2010, statistics of the DutchCentraal Bureau voor de Statistiek shows that there are about 1,505 people of Nepalese origin living in the country.[36]
The Netherlands are home to a number ofLhotshampa (Bhutanese Nepalis) refugees who were deported fromBhutan.[37] Every year the Netherlands has been resettling around 100 Lhotshampa refugees since 2009. As of November 2011, around 350 refugees got resettled in The Netherlands.
Nepalese students have been studying in the Netherlands since the early 1970s.[38] Every year about a hundred students attend an international program in the Netherlands. So far, about 2,000 Nepalese students have graduated from different institutions all over the Netherlands in areas like Engineering, Law, Social Sciences and Management. Many Nepalese students are supported by the Netherlands Fellowship Program (NFP). The Consulate of the Netherlands is the body responsible for helping prospective Nepalese students in contacting an institution that meets their needs.
Until the late 1990s, there was no Nepali-run organizations so almost all Nepal-related programs were organized by the Dutch people.[39] TheNepal Samaj Nederlands was founded in 1999 as a cultural entity, it started to promote various Nepalese festivities among Nepalese and Dutch people who are interested in friendship with Nepalese people, culture, language and food. NSN publishes a news bulletin called Chautrai twice a year in both Nepali and Dutch.[40]
Other organizations include theNRN-NCC Netherlands and theWorldwide Nepalese Students' Organization – Netherlands.