Nearly a Million Dutch Muslims

Figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics show that, at the beginning of this year, there were an estimated 945,000 Muslims in the Netherlands. This is double the number living here in 1990. The total is expected to pass the million mark in 2006, eighteen months later than previously forecast. A spokesman from the CBS said that numbers are growing more slowly because of the sharp decline in immigration. The biggest Muslim group in the Netherlands is that of the Turks, with 328,000 people, followed by the Moroccans with 295,000. These two groups account for two-thirds of the Muslim community in the Netherlands. On January 1, 2004, Muslims made up 5.8% of the population. There are large regional variations - 13% of the residents of Amsterdam are Muslim, 11.4% in The Hague, and 10% in Rotterdam. In the provinces of Friesland and Drenthe, Muslims account for less than 2% of the population.

bron: hollandnews