Portuguese in the Netherlands (Dutch: Portugezen in Nederland; Portuguese: Portugueses nos Países Baixos), also Portuguese Dutch (Portugese Nederlanders; Português neerlandês), Dutch Portuguese (Nederlandse Portugezen) or Luso-Dutch (Luso-neerlandês), are the citizens or residents of the Netherlands whose ethnic origins lie in Portugal.
Portuguese Dutch are Portuguese-born citizens with a Dutch citizenship or Dutch-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship.
Seeking enhanced religious and economic liberties, numerous crypto-Jews departed Portugal in pursuit of regions with more relaxed religious laws and promising prospects that would allow their distinctive talents to flourish. Brazil, where the European population spoke Portuguese, and France – where around 10,000 Portuguese-Jews sought refuge – became popular destinations for many. After a couple of decades, clusters of crypto-Jews began arriving in the Dutch Republic. The diaspora of Portuguese Jews across Europe, which found in liberal Netherlands one of its main destinations.[3][4][5][6]
Many of the Jews who left for the Dutch provinces were crypto-Jews, persons who had converted to Catholicism but continued to practice Judaism in secret.[citation needed] After they had settled in the safety of the Netherlands, many of them 'returned' fully to practice of the Jewish religion.
The Netherlands and England became in fact top destinations for Portuguese-Jewish emigrants due to the absence of the Inquisition. Other that adding to the economical and cultural aspects of their host countries,[7] the Portuguese-Jews also established institutions that are still present, such as the Esnoga, in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam emerged as one of the most beloved locations in the Netherlands for Sephardic Jews. Due to their influx, Amsterdam experienced substantial advantages as numerous refugees were skilled merchants. Nevertheless, the decision to establish themselves in Amsterdam was not solely by choice; countless crypto-Jews, also known as Marranos, had been denied entry to trade hubs such as Middelburg and Haarlem, leading them to settle in Amsterdam. As a result of the impact made by Sephardic Jews, Amsterdam experienced rapid growth. Numerous Jewish individuals extended their support to the House of Orange, consequently receiving protection from the stadholder in return.
Portuguese-Jews are connected to the expansion of the Dutch colonial empire, as they are responsible for the appearance of Papiamentu[8] (a 300,000 speakers-strong[9]Portuguese-based creole now official language in Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire) and of Sranan Tongo, an English-based creole influenced by Portuguese spoken by more than 500,000 people in the former Dutch colony of Suriname.[10][11] Dealing with Suriname, it is noteworthy that its first capital, Torarica (literally "rich Torah" in Portuguese), was established by Portuguese-Jewish settlers.
The Portuguese-Jewish community in the Netherlands has produced many notable figures, among which there are famous philosopher Baruch Spinoza and mathematician Rehuel Lobatto.
18th–19th centuries
Portuguese people started arriving again as immigrants to the Netherlands in the middle of 18th century, mostly from Madeira Island and Lisbon.[citation needed]
20th century
During the Shoah, nearly 4,000 Portuguese Jews residing in the Netherlands lost their lives, making up the largest group of casualties with a Portuguese background in the Nazi German genocide.[12][13] Among famous Portuguese-Jewish victims of the Shoah there are figures such as painter Baruch Lopes Leão de Laguna, composer Leo Smit or professor Juda Lion Palache.
The Netherlands are not among the traditional destinations chosen by Portuguese migrants, especially because of lack of linguistic affinity between the two countries. Nevertheless, starting in the late 1980s, in conjunction with the slowdown in departures towards France and the United States of America, Portuguese people have started opting for less "traditional" destinations such as Switzerland, Luxembourg and, although in lesser numbers, the Netherlands.
21st century
Time series of migrations involving Portuguese-born people in the Netherlands (1995–2021)
Starting from 2000 and especially since the 2008 Global recession, Portuguese have flocked to the Netherlands in great numbers. The number of Portuguese has more than doubled in the period 1996–2020 from 13,000 to more than 30,000.
Of the almost 40,000 Portuguese that arrived in the Netherlands since 2000, 75% did so after 2008 and 58% after 2012, year in which the unemployment rate in Portugal soared to 16.1%.[16][17]
Since 2006 the annual influx of individuals born in Portugal entering the Netherlands has consistently exceeded 1,000 individuals and, since 2017, more than 2,000 Portuguese have annually embarked on migration towards the Netherlands in pursuit of enhanced economic prospects. The sole exception occurred in 2020, during which a decline in the influx of Portuguese individuals was observed. This decline is most likely attributable to the Coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, the subsequent spike in the number of entries by Portuguese nationals in 2021 can be most likely partly attributed to the postponement of migration processes in the preceding year.[18]
The Portuguese community in the Netherlands is fairly young, with 60% of the Portuguese being under 40. Moreover, among immigrants, more than 85% is under 40.[18]
Portuguese migrants generally tend to settle for shorter periods of a few years, as opposed to permanent migrations prevalent during the 1960s great emigration movements from Portugal towards France.[19] In fact, since 1995 26,883 Portuguese have left the Netherlands and half of them did so after 2013.[16] Starting from 2014, the Portuguese unemployment rate has steadily fallen and the economic outlook has bettered.
Portuguese-language political campaign sticker in Rotterdam in 2022
Dealing with the Sephardic community in the Netherlands, called the Portugees-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap (PIK) (Portuguese-Israelite Religious Community), it has today a membership of some 270 families (translating to approximately 600 persons), and is concentrated in Amsterdam. They constitute now some 2% of the Dutch-Jewish community. The PIK also has a youth movement, J-PIG (Jongeren Portugees-Israëlitische Gemeente – Youth Portuguese-Israelite Community).
The Portuguese are part of a wider Portuguese-speaking community in the Netherlands, comprising around 35,000 people from PALOP countries (the overwhelming majority being from Angola or from Cape Verde), Timor-Leste or Macau[20] and 76,500 Brazilians.[21] People from CPLP countries thus number around 147,500 people, accounting for 0.84% of the population of the Netherlands.[22] The Netherlands is the Benelux country with the smallest community of people coming from CPLP countries: In Belgium there are around 156,000 people (1.33% of the population) while in Luxembourg there are over 150,000 Portuguese alone.[23]
According to Portuguese registers, in 2022 around 35,800 Portuguese citizens are registered as living in the Netherlands.[18]
Meanwhile, as of 2022, over 31,000 of Dutch people are of Portuguese descent, meaning people born in Portugal or children of at least one Portuguese-born parent.[24] The number of people of Portuguese background is lower than that of Portuguese nationals because many Portuguese may have been born in third countries such as France, Luxembourg, Belgium or Germany, countries neighbourhing the Netherlands and all having large Portuguese populations.
The Portuguese did not acquire in significant amount Dutch citizenship due to their status as EU citizens. In fact, according to Dutch legislation, an individual may possess only one nationality. Therefore, many Portuguese are unwilling to renounce their Portuguese citizenship. Interestingly, since the year 2000, only 1,620 Portuguese nationals have been naturalized as Dutch citizens, which accounts for a mere 0.2% of the total number of naturalizations. However, the Portuguese represent 1.2% of the foreign population, meaning they are under-represented in the naturalization process.
The Portuguese community in the Netherlands retains strong ties with its homeland and, between 2000 and 2021, it has sent more than €700 million to Portugal in remittances. In the same timeframe, Dutch people in Portugal (numbering around 12,100 individuals)[26] have sent approximately 42.43 million euros (€) to the Netherlands.[18]
Population development of the Portuguese in the Netherlands
Year
1996
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2021
First generation
8 759
9 509
11 833
14 356
16 456
19 820
21 735
Second generation
4 198
4 772
5 723
6 625
7 786
8 982
9 571
Number of Portuguese
12 957
14 281
17 556
20 981
24 242
28 802
31 306
In 2021, about 16.4% of the Portuguese in the Netherlands were between 0 and 15 years old, or a total of 5,141 people. Of these 5,141 persons, 1,179 children belonged to the first generation of Portuguese and 3,962 children to the second generation. In contrast, about 6.6% of the Portuguese in the Netherlands were 65 years or older, or 2,067 persons in total with 99.3% of them being first generation migrants. This means that the Portuguese in the Netherlands are younger than the Portuguese in Portugal itself.
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