The population of the Netherlands grew by 132,000 to 17.4 million in 2019, according to initial estimates by national statistics agency CBS.

The increase is some 30,000 up on previous years and due almost entirely to immigration, the CBS said. There were also 18,000 more births than deaths.

Almost half the new immigrants came from Europe, of whom 85% came from another EU country. A further 18% came from Asia, largely India and China, the CBS said.

Refugees granted residency permits accounted for just 6% of the total new arrivals, or 16,000 people.

Some 16,000 people also moved to the Netherlands from America, up 4,000 on 2018 and 10,000 on 2016.