The linking of immigrant flow and stock data in the Netherlands; present and future possibilities

Article type: Research Article

Authors: de Beer, Joop | Kuijper, Hans | Noordam, René | Prins, Kees | Sprangers, Arno^{; 1}

Affiliations: Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics, Department for Population Statistics, P.O. Box 959, 2270 AZ Voorburg, Netherlands

Note: [1] The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics.

Abstract: The past decades, international migration has become increasingly important as a source of population growth in the Netherlands as well as in other West European countries. There is an interaction between international migration on the one hand and size and structure of the (non-native) population on the other. Migration flows bring about changes in the size and composition of the ‘stock’ of migrants, whereas the residing non-native population affects future migration flows. The up to now theoretical possibilities in linking immigrant flow and stock data in the Netherlands are improving rapidly. An important development is the introduction of a new computerized population registration system in the near future. One of the features in the new system is that each inhabitant will be identified by a unique identification number. This promises well for opportunities in matching data at the individual level. It is therefore expected that in the new situation it will be possible to better link immigrant stock and flow data.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1993-10401

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 321-334, 1993