Rotterdam: Dutch to be a minority

Rotterdam: Dutch to be a minority

According to EUMAP, Rotterdam has a Muslim population of about 80,000, or 13%.  Taking the big groups of Moroccans and Turks, according to this article, this number is more or less accurate.  In other words, Dutch might be a minority in Rotterdam, but Muslims are by far not the majority.

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With just 52% of the population born with a Dutch passport, Rotterdam city is nearing the point when immigrants will form a  majority of the city.  This according to data by the municipal Center for Research and Statistics (COS)

After Dutch, Surinamese are the biggest ethnic group, followed by Turks and Moroccans.  Antilleans and Moroccans are the fastest growing group.  Rotterdam now has 30% more Antilleans than a decade ago (now 20,261), and 26% more Moroccans (now 38,100).  The COS does not dare to forecast when the immigrant population will overtake the ethnic one.  If the trend continues, it will be in 2012.

On April 1st, Rotterdam had 588,398 residents.  44,000 less Dutch lived in the city than a decade ago.  Particularly in the 0-14 age group, the 'coloring' is carrying on quickly: Of the children 38% are Dutch.

The growth in the number of immigrants is partially explained by immigration" according to municipal researcher Marco Hoppesteyn in AD.  "In recent years, relatively many Romanians, Poles and Chinese are establishing themselves here.  The economic crisis has for the time being no influence on this trend.  But what isn't, can still come.  The number of births is also hard to forecast.  The grandchildren of immigrants are moreover defined as ethnic.  This group will grow in the coming years."

Sources: Telegraaf , AD (Dutch)

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