The southern province of Limburg is the only one of the 12 Dutch regions where the population is set to shrink over the next 15 years, according to a preliminary report by researchers at Wageningen University’s Lei institute.

The decline in the Limburg population will be strongest in urban areas, but in the rest of the country urban populations are set to grow or stabilise, the report shows.
The research was carried out on behalf of the agriculture and rural affairs ministry because of fears that Groningen in particular will suffer a population drain. But the researchers said the population of Groningen will actually increase.
The population is set to reach 16.9 million by 2025, some 500,000 more than it is at present.