People

The Dutch are an ethnically homogeneous people descended from Frankish, Saxon and Frisian tribes. Ethnic homogeneity slightly changed as a result of the arrival of some 300,000 repatriates and immigrants from Indonesia, mostly Eurasian, and more than 140,000 from Suriname. The influx of Turks and other workers from the Mediterranean area has further added to the ethnic mix. The most recent estimates (1999) indicate that 83% of the total population are Dutch; Moroccans, Turks, Antilleans, Surinamese, Indonesians, and other groups comprise the remaining 17%.

Language

Dutch is the official language in all of the 12 provinces. It is also the universal tongue, except in Friesland, where most of the inhabitants speak the ancient Frisian language. Frisian, the native language of about 300,000 persons, is closely related to the Anglo-Saxon tongue but has many points in common with Dutch, which belongs to the Germanic language group. Many Dutch people speak and understand English, French and German, which are taught in secondary schools. Six Dutch dialects – notably Gelders and Groningen – are spoken in addition to Frisian.

Religion

Complete religious liberty is provided for by the constitution, and a tradition of tolerance is well established. As of 2002, an estimated 30% were nominally Roman Catholics; 15% were Dutch Reformed; 7% were Calvinist Reformist; 8% were non-Christian (Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist); and some 40% were atheist or agnostic.

Dutch society is becoming increasingly secular. According to the government's Social Cultural Planning Bureau, church membership has steadily declined from 76% in 1958 to 41% in 1995 and continues to decrease. Only about 26% of all members are active in their religious community. The Dutch Reformed Church, whose membership has declined by more than 50% since 1900, is the largest Protestant denomination and is strongest in Drenthe Province, in neighbouring Groningen Province, and in Overijssel.

Other reformed churches are particularly strong in Friesland and Zeeland. Roman Catholicism is widespread in North Brabant and Limburg. Other Christian denominations include Baptist, Lutheran, and Remonstrant. The Jewish community has about 20,000 members. The Muslim community has about 750,000 members, or about 4.5% of the total population. However, many of them are migrant workers from Morocco and Turkey or immigrants from other countries such as Iraq, Somalia and Bosnia. There are about 90,000 Hindus, primarily from Suriname. About 17,000 people are Buddhist.