One in Five Older Moroccans in the Netherlands Lives Below the Social Minimum After Nearly 40 Years in the Country

Morocco ranks fourth among countries of birth for residents aged 55 and over who came from abroad, behind Suriname, Indonesia and Turkey. The figures are from a study by the CBS, the Dutch statistics office, published on September 29.

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In twelve years, the population born in Morocco has nearly doubled. It is part of a broader trend: residents born abroad now account for 12% of people aged 55 and over in the Netherlands, compared with 9% in 2012.

For the Moroccans concerned, it is generally a long history in the Netherlands. Their average length of residence is 37.4 years, according to the study conducted with the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute.

Incomes remain precarious

Yet having lived in the country for so long does not protect them from financial hardship. In 2024, 20% of people aged 55 and over who were born in Morocco had been living below the legal social minimum for at least four years, compared with 8.7% in 2012. The proportion was 1.8% among their contemporaries born in the Netherlands.

The CBS highlights the role of incomplete basic pensions among older immigrants. Arriving in the country later means fewer pension entitlements accrued. But declining incomes also affect people born in Morocco who have not yet reached retirement age.

On Bladi.net : Moroccan Retirees in the Netherlands: Their Children Forced to Pay the Bills

Family ties, meanwhile, remain geographically close. Among people born in Morocco who have children living in a separate home in the Netherlands, the nearest child lives an average of 7.4 kilometers away. The distance is 14.8 kilometers for parents of the same age born in the Netherlands.