By Wim Blauw.
Introduction and Summary: Understanding Dutch Emigration to Australia After WWII
Why did tens of thousands of Dutch citizens leave their homeland after World War II, and why did so many choose Australia as their destination? Wim Blauw’s comprehensive study provides the most thorough sociological explanation to date.
This important essay, Explanations of Post-War Dutch Emigration to Australia, offers a rich, multidimensional exploration of the motivations, characteristics, and patterns of Dutch emigration from 1945 to the 1990s. Drawing from decades of migration studies and government data, Wim Blauw presents a compelling narrative that reveals not just statistical trends, but also the psychological, cultural, and social undercurrents that drove a generation of Dutch people to leave their homeland for the distant shores of Australia.
The paper begins with a historical reflection on the Dutch relationship with Australia, tracing their early disinterest in colonising the continent they first mapped in the 17th century. That changed dramatically in the aftermath of WWII, when emigration became a state-supported solution to economic anxiety, population pressures, and post-war trauma. Australia, with its open spaces and growing economy, quickly became one of the top destinations.
Blauw organises the story into three distinct waves of migration, each characterised by its own logic:
- The 1950s: Emigration for a Better Future for the Children
This was the era of mass migration. Dutch families, particularly from farming and Calvinist backgrounds, left en masse seeking economic opportunity, space, and security. The devastation of WWII, combined with fears of overpopulation and another famine, created what Blauw describes as an “overpopulation psychosis.” The Dutch government actively encouraged emigration, and Australia welcomed them. In this wave, 160,000 Dutch emigrated to Australia, many believing they were investing in a brighter future for their children. - The 1970s: Emigration for a Better Living Environment
In the second wave, the reasons shifted. The Netherlands had by then become an affluent welfare state, but environmental concerns, discontent with taxation and governance, and a sense of social pressure became new push factors. Emigration became more about personal lifestyle than economic necessity. Many emigrants followed relatives already abroad—a phenomenon Blauw calls chain migration. Australia remained attractive for its climate, space, and social atmosphere. - The 1990s: Emigration for Personal Growth
By the 1990s, traditional migration had largely dried up, yet interest in Australia remained high among young Dutch adults. With permanent migration now limited, thousands participated in “Work and Travel” programs. This new generation saw emigration not as escape but as opportunity: a temporary leap toward self-discovery, adventure, and personal development. In contrast to earlier generations, they weren’t pushed by hardship, but pulled by aspiration.
Blauw also turns his lens to the often-overlooked phenomenon of return migration. A surprising one-third of Dutch emigrants returned to the Netherlands within ten years. Some were unable to adjust, faced relationship or employment challenges, or succumbed to homesickness. Others returned positively, having fulfilled their sense of adventure. The concept of the “Atlantic swimmer”—caught between two countries, feeling fully at home in neither—is a poignant conclusion to this migration cycle.
Throughout the paper, Blauw goes beyond demographic data to explore who emigrated and why. He juxtaposes objective statistics with subjective experiences, analysing age, education, religion, family structure, and personality traits. The findings challenge clichés. For example, while Dutch migrants were often portrayed as adventurous pioneers, many followed social networks already established abroad. Calvinist families in the early wave were replaced by broader socio-economic classes in the later decades.
The narrative is further enriched with insights from major Dutch researchers—Frijda, Hofstede, Wentholt, Kruiter, and Elich—and supported by rare statistics, including comparative tables of emigration by country, age, religion, and motivation.
Why read this paper?
Because the post-war Dutch emigration story is also a broader story of how societies recover from crisis, how individuals navigate change, and how migration becomes a mirror for the national psyche. It offers valuable lessons for policymakers, historians, sociologists, and for those simply curious about how and why people take the immense step of starting anew.
Whether you’re a descendant of Dutch migrants, a researcher of post-war migration, or someone with a general interest in European-Australian history, this paper offers both academic rigour and human insight. It reminds us that migration is never simply about economics—it is also about identity, opportunity, hope, and at times, disillusionment.
Blauw’s work ultimately stands as a profound exploration of the Dutch contribution to Australia and a nuanced portrait of the migrant experience.
Wim Blauw is a Dutch sociologist and demographer. He was born in 1937 in Rotterdam and studied sociology at the University of Amsterdam. He worked as a researcher at the NIDI from 1967 to 2002, where he specialised in international migration, return migration, and integration of migrants. He conducted several studies on Dutch emigration and immigration, as well as migration flows between Europe and other regions. He also taught at various universities in the Netherlands and abroad. He retired in 2002 but remained active as a consultant and lecturer.
See also: The Return of Dutch Migrants from Australia, New Zealand and Canada – 1983
