The Netherlands is home to a modest Albanian community, most of it with roots in Kosovo and built largely since the 1999 Kosovo War. Concentrated in the big cities of the Randstad, it is a small but well-regarded diaspora. This guide covers how many there are, where they live, and how the community came to be.
It is part of our Albanians Around the World series.
Quick Facts: Albanians in the Netherlands
- Population: No exact figure. Statistics Netherlands counts 23,887 residents with Kosovo, North Macedonia, or Albania as country of origin (2026), across all ethnic groups; unofficial estimates range from around 12,000 to 60,000. A conservative estimate from the official figures: about 16,600 to 20,100 people of Albanian origin (method shown below).
- Where they live: The big cities, above all Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.
- Main origins: Kosovo and North Macedonia above all.
- How they came: Mostly since the 1990s. About 4,000 Kosovars were evacuated to the Netherlands in 1999, and about 10,000 Kosovar asylum seekers received temporary status that year (Statistics Netherlands).
On This Page
- How Many Albanians Live in the Netherlands?
- A Conservative Estimate, and How It Is Built
- A Recent Community
- Where Albanians Live
- Community Life
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Albanians Live in the Netherlands?
There is no precise count of Albanians in the Netherlands, and estimates vary widely, from around 12,000 in some measures to as many as 60,000 according to Kosovo’s diaspora institutions. The large majority come from Kosovo and North Macedonia, and much of the community arrived after the Kosovo War. Statistics Netherlands counts 23,887 residents with Kosovo, North Macedonia, or Albania as their country of origin (January 2026), a figure that covers every ethnic group from those countries.
A Conservative Estimate, and How It Is Built
A conservative estimate from the official figures: about 16,600 to 20,100 people of Albanian origin in The Netherlands. This is an estimate, not an official figure. The Netherlands does not record ethnicity, so we build the range from Statistics Netherlands (CBS)’s published counts and state every assumption.
| Group | Official count (January 1, 2026) | Share counted as Albanian | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania as country of origin: born there, or born in the Netherlands to parents born there | 5,959 | All | 5,959 |
| Kosovo as country of origin, same definition | 9,496 | 90.79 percent, the Albanian share in Kosovo’s 2024 census | 8,621 |
| North Macedonia as country of origin, same definition | 8,432 | 24.3 to 66 percent (see below) | 2,049 to 5,565 |
| Total | 16,629 to 20,145 |
The North Macedonia range runs from the Albanian share of that country’s resident population in its 2021 census (24.3 percent) to the Albanian share among citizens living abroad who took part in the same census (about 66 percent). The second figure is our own arithmetic from the published totals: Albanians were 29.52 percent of all 2,097,319 people counted and 24.3 percent of the 1,836,713 residents, which leaves about 173,000 Albanians among the 260,606 people counted abroad.
What the range leaves out. Statistics Netherlands stops counting at the second generation, so grandchildren of migrants are recorded as having Dutch origin. Some people who arrived before Kosovo declared independence in 2008 may still be recorded under Serbia or the former Yugoslavia, and Albanians from Montenegro or Serbia are outside the count as well. The real community is therefore likely to be larger than our range, but we do not put a number on what cannot be measured.
Last reviewed: September 18, 2026. Inputs: Statistics Netherlands, table 85384NED; Kosovo Agency of Statistics, Census 2024; State Statistical Office of North Macedonia, Census 2021.
A Recent Community
Unlike the older Albanian communities of Germany or Switzerland, the Netherlands’ community is largely a product of the 1990s and after. A modest number of Yugoslav-era migrants were joined by a much larger wave of Kosovo Albanian refugees during and after the war of 1998 to 1999, and by migrants from Albania and North Macedonia seeking work and stability. A Dutch-born generation is now growing up, and Kosovo’s diaspora institutions have described the Netherlands as offering some of the best conditions anywhere for the Albanian diaspora.
Where Albanians Live
The community is concentrated in the cities of the Randstad, the urban core of the western Netherlands, above all Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. Albanian cultural and community associations operate in these cities, keeping the language and traditions alive and maintaining ties to the homeland.
Community Life
Albanian community life in the Netherlands runs through cultural and Albanian-language associations in the big Randstad cities. The Hague is home to the Democratic Foundation of Chameria, founded in 2006, which campaigns on the historic expulsion of the Cham Albanians from northwestern Greece, a sign of the community’s continued engagement with issues across the wider Albanian world.
What Statistics Netherlands Actually Counts
The Netherlands does not record ethnicity. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) classifies residents by country of origin instead. A person born abroad is assigned to the country of birth. A person born in the Netherlands is assigned according to where the parents were born, using the mother’s country if both parents were born abroad.
That method produces exact figures for three countries where Albanians live in large numbers. On January 1, 2026, the Netherlands had 9,496 residents with Kosovo as their country of origin, 8,432 with North Macedonia and 5,959 with Albania. Together that is 23,887 people in a national population of 18,130,208.
| Country of origin | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo | 9,113 | 9,240 | 9,338 | 9,439 | 9,496 |
| North Macedonia | 7,513 | 7,824 | 8,171 | 8,311 | 8,432 |
| Albania | 4,364 | 4,857 | 5,289 | 5,674 | 5,959 |
These numbers need to be read with care. Country of origin is not ethnicity, so the North Macedonia line includes ethnic Macedonians and others as well as Albanians, and the Kosovo line includes every community from Kosovo. The count also stops at the second generation, so grandchildren of migrants are recorded as having Dutch origin. The figures are exact for what they measure, but they are not a count of everyone with Albanian roots.
A Growing Dutch-Born Generation
The same CBS table separates people born abroad from those born in the Netherlands. Among residents of Kosovo origin in 2026, 5,241 were born abroad and 4,255 were born in the Netherlands, which means about 45 percent belong to the Dutch-born generation. The number born abroad barely moved between 2022 and 2026, while the Dutch-born group grew by almost 400.
The group with Albania as its origin is newer and growing faster. It rose from 4,364 in 2022 to 5,959 in 2026, an increase of about 37 percent in four years. Nearly three quarters of that group, 4,323 people, were born abroad. For North Macedonia the split in 2026 was 5,092 born abroad and 3,340 born in the Netherlands.
Yugoslav Guest Workers Before the 1990s
A study of former Yugoslavs in the Netherlands, published by CBS in 2005, traces the first sizeable arrivals to the 1960s and 1970s. Men were hired as guest workers in shipbuilding, cleaning, metal and textile plants, and the food industry. Women were recruited for fish processing, leather work and cigarette factories.
About half of those workers went home after a few years. In all, the study estimates that labor migration and the family migration that followed brought about 28,000 people from Yugoslavia to the Netherlands. The study does not break that group down by ethnicity, so the number of Albanians among them is unknown.
The 1999 Evacuation and Temporary Protection
The Dutch immigration service (IND) records that the Netherlands first pledged to take 2,000 of the Kosovars who had fled to Macedonia and Albania during the 1999 war. In the end about 4,000 came. Many of them were housed in a tent camp in the town of Ermelo, and voluntary return to Kosovo began in June 1999.
The 2005 CBS publication adds detail. The government gave temporary residence status to about 10,000 Kosovar asylum seekers, of whom 3,000 were already in the country. Family reunification was allowed only in special cases, and the government stopped issuing the temporary status at the end of July 1999.
In December 2000 the government announced that the remaining temporary permits of Kosovo Albanians would be withdrawn. By then about 2,300 had already gone home. On January 1, 2004, the study counted 76,346 residents with origins in the former Yugoslavia and estimated that about 4,000 of them were ethnic Albanians from Kosovo.
Asylum Applications Since 2013
CBS also publishes asylum requests by nationality, rounded to the nearest five. They show a short, sharp peak in the middle of the 2010s followed by a steep fall.
| Year | Albanian nationals, all asylum requests | Kosovar nationals, all asylum requests |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 35 | 50 |
| 2014 | 90 | 60 |
| 2015 | 1,015 | 690 |
| 2016 | 1,700 | 470 |
| 2017 | 375 | 50 |
| 2018 | 575 | 45 |
| 2019 | 270 | 60 |
| 2020 | 90 | 45 |
| 2021 | 55 | 20 |
| 2022 | 55 | 10 |
| 2023 | 30 | 15 |
| 2024 | 25 | 5 |
| 2025 | 20 | 5 |
Requests from Albanian nationals peaked at 1,700 in 2016, and requests from Kosovar nationals peaked at 690 in 2015. By 2025 the figures were 20 and 5. Asylum requests from 2022 through 2025 add up to only about 130 for Albanian nationals, far fewer than the increase of 1,595 residents of Albania origin over the same period.
The 2019 Visa Debate
In 2019 Albanian migration became a topic in Dutch politics. The investigative outlet OCCRP reported on June 6, 2019, that the Dutch government had asked the European Commission to suspend visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Albanian citizens. The letter, sent by the Dutch permanent representative to the EU, cited organized crime in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and misuse of visa-free travel.
The Commission answered that suspending visa-free travel could not be decided lightly and would need very careful assessment. Albanian citizens kept their visa-free access while the request was reviewed.
Dutch Ties With Kosovo
The Netherlands recognized Kosovo on March 4, 2008, a little over two weeks after the declaration of independence. The Dutch embassy in Pristina opened on June 27, 2008, and Kosovo opened its embassy in The Hague in November 2009. The Netherlands is one of the countries that recognize Kosovo and originally sent 3,600 troops to the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force.
Notable Dutch Albanians
- Gzim Selmani (Rezar): born in Amsterdam in 1994 to a Kosovo Albanian family with roots in Mitrovica. He fought in mixed martial arts before signing with WWE in 2015. As half of the tag team the Authors of Pain he won the NXT Tag Team Championship and, in November 2018, the Raw Tag Team Championship.
- Alban Ramosaj: singer and songwriter born in Ede in 1996 to a family from Podujeva, Kosovo. He grew up in Tirana, won the song contest Kënga Magjike in 2021, and finished as runner-up at Festivali i Këngës 60.
Timeline: Albanians in the Netherlands
- 1960s and 1970s: Guest workers from Yugoslavia arrive to work in Dutch industry.
- 1993 to 1997: About 25,000 asylum seekers arrive from Serbia and Montenegro, which then included Kosovo.
- 1999: About 4,000 Kosovars are evacuated to the Netherlands. About 10,000 Kosovar asylum seekers receive temporary status.
- December 2000: The government announces the withdrawal of the remaining temporary permits.
- March 4, 2008: The Netherlands recognizes Kosovo.
- November 2009: Kosovo opens its embassy in The Hague.
- 2015 and 2016: Asylum requests from Kosovar and Albanian nationals reach their peaks.
- 2019: The Dutch government asks the European Commission to suspend visa-free travel for Albanians. The Commission keeps the arrangement in place while it reviews the request.
- January 1, 2026: CBS counts 9,496 residents of Kosovo origin, 8,432 of North Macedonia origin and 5,959 of Albania origin.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Albanians live in the Netherlands?
There is no exact figure. Statistics Netherlands counts 23,887 residents with Kosovo, North Macedonia, or Albania as country of origin (2026), across all ethnic groups, and unofficial estimates range from about 12,000 to 60,000. A conservative estimate from the official figures is about 16,600 to 20,100 people of Albanian origin, with the method shown in this guide. Most are of Kosovar origin.
Where do Albanians in the Netherlands live?
Mainly in the big Randstad cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.
When did Albanians come to the Netherlands?
Mostly since the 1990s, above all as Kosovo War refugees. About 4,000 Kosovars were evacuated to the Netherlands in 1999.
Sources
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
- Wikipedia: Albanians in the Netherlands
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS): Population by sex, age, country of origin and country of birth, January 1 (table 85384NED)
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS): Asylum requests and family reunification by nationality, sex and age (table 83102NED)
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS): Voormalig Joegoslaven in Nederland, by Thomas Hessels (2005)
- Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND): 1999 Kosovaarse vluchtelingencrisis
- OCCRP: EU Commission Reviewing Albanian Visa Bans
- Wikipedia: Kosovo-Netherlands relations
- Wikipedia: Rezar
- Wikipedia: Alban Ramosaj
- Government of Kosovo: First final results of the 2024 Census (ethnic composition)
- Balkan Insight: North Macedonia census 2021, residents and non-residents counted
Related Reading
- Albanians Around the World: The Global Diaspora
- Albanians in Germany
- The Kosovo War: A Complete History
Author: Val Demiri
Valbona is an editor and writer at ALB Connection, where she covers the people, businesses, and culture shaping the Albanian diaspora. A journalism graduate of the University of Iowa, her work spans community profiles, success stories, and features on Albanian life across the US, Europe, and beyond. She is drawn to stories that celebrate Albanian achievement and keep the community connected across borders.
