About 70% of people with a route follow the B1-route
Under Wet inburgering 2021, DUO data through August 2026 show about 70% in the B1-route, 24% in the Zelfredzaamheidsroute (self-reliance route, Z-route) and 6% in the Onderwijsroute (education route). These shares cover about 120,200 people with a recorded route. About 31,100 more have no recorded route. Your gemeente (municipality) sets your own inburgering (civic integration) route.
If you must integrate under Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021) (External site, opens in a new tab), compare your learning route with these national figures.
The figures come from DUO (External site, opens in a new tab) and cover decisions issued from 2022 to August 2026.
People included in these figures
The dataset includes everyone who received a civic integration obligation under the 2021 law from 2022 to August 2026. About 151,400 people entered the system. The totals include people who later completed their obligation, received an exemption or had their obligation end.
About 120,200 people have a recorded learning route. About 31,100 have no recorded route: roughly one in five of all entrants. DUO leaves their route field blank. The dataset does not give the reason for each blank field.
The three learning routes
Wet inburgering 2021 introduced three routes on 1 January 2022. Your gemeente sets your route in your persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie (personal integration and participation plan, PIP). The government overview of the three routes (External site, opens in a new tab) explains their aims.
- B1-route: you work towards Dutch at level B1. You can combine language learning with paid or voluntary work. The route includes Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij (knowledge of Dutch society, KNM) and participation modules.
- Onderwijsroute: you follow a taalschakeltraject (language-transition programme) to prepare for further Dutch education. The route is mainly for young people.
- Z-route: you learn Dutch and take part in activities for daily life in the Netherlands. This route is for people for whom the B1-route and Onderwijsroute are too difficult. It uses lesson hours and participation activities. Language exams are optional.
Your PIP lists which route requirements (External site, opens in a new tab) apply to you, including any exemptions. For the rules, read the B1-route guide, Onderwijsroute guide or Z-route guide. For the wider reform, see what changed under Wet inburgering 2021.
For how Dutch education pathways connect, see the Dutch school system guide.
People in each learning route
According to DUO’s wi-2021 dataset (External site, opens in a new tab), the route shares below cover people with a recorded route whose integration-obligation decision was issued from 2022 to August 2026. People with a blank route field are excluded from these shares.
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| Learning route | People | Share with a route |
|---|---|---|
| B1-route | About 84,400 | About 70% |
| Z-route | About 28,800 | About 24% |
| Onderwijsroute | About 6,900 | About 6% |
The counts exclude small cells that DUO hides for privacy. We round each count separately, so the displayed counts may not add up to the displayed total. The counting method below explains these limits.
Learning routes by migrant group
DUO uses three groups: asielstatushouders (asylum-status holders), gezinsmigranten (family migrants) and overig (other migrants). The table uses the same September 2026 wi-2021 dataset (External site, opens in a new tab). Each percentage counts only people with a recorded route within that group.
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| Migrant group | B1-route | Z-route | Onderwijsroute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asylum-status holders | About 57% | About 34% | About 9% |
| Family migrants | About 93% | About 6% | Less than 1% |
| Other migrants | About 88% | About 12% | Less than 1% |
Asylum-status holders are the largest group: about 95,500 of the 151,400 entrants. Most people recorded in the Z-route and Onderwijsroute are asylum-status holders. These figures describe who follows each route. Your gemeente sets your route based on your own situation.
For learnability-test advice, route changes, lower language targets and literacy needs, see learning-route assignment statistics. That article uses data from Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Statistics Netherlands, CBS). The CBS dashboard covers data through December 2025, so its totals are not directly comparable with this DUO file.
People entering each year
A cohort is the year when DUO issued a besluit inburgeringsplicht (decision that you must integrate). The September 2026 wi-2021 dataset (External site, opens in a new tab) gives the totals below. The 2026 figure covers January to August only.
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| Year of decision | People entering the system |
|---|---|
| 2022 | About 26,000 |
| 2023 | About 35,700 |
| 2024 | About 36,200 |
| 2025 | About 33,400 |
| 2026 (January–August) | About 20,000 |
Completion and ended obligations
DUO records four statuses in the September 2026 wi-2021 dataset (External site, opens in a new tab). These shares cover all entrants from the 2022–2026 cohorts. About 77% still have an integration obligation.
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| Status | Share of all entrants |
|---|---|
| Nog inburgeringsplichtig (still required to integrate) | About 77% |
| Afgerond (completed obligation) | About 16% |
| Vervallen (ended obligation) | About 4% |
| Tijdelijk vrijgesteld (temporarily exempt) | About 3% |
Vervallen includes people who left the Netherlands or died. Among people marked Afgerond, most met the integration requirement through exams. Smaller groups completed the Z-route, received an exemption or received a release from the obligation.
The normal integration period is three years (External site, opens in a new tab), and DUO can grant extra time (External site, opens in a new tab) in specific situations. After your PIP is established, DUO sends a letter with your start date. The cohort year alone therefore does not show when your deadline falls. These shares show the status of integration obligations, rather than the pass rate for an exam.
For the language levels people reach, see Dutch language levels achieved during integration.
Counting method and limits
We used DUO’s WI 2021 Instroom, Uitstroom en Leerroute (inflow, outflow and learning route) (External site, opens in a new tab), dataset wi-2021. Its source is the Informatie Systeem Inburgering. DUO refreshed the file on 8 September 2026. It covers decisions under the 2021 law from 2022 to August 2026 and excludes decisions under the 2013 law. DUO produces the official data. Inburgering.org calculates the shares.
We calculate route shares from level 5, the most detailed national breakdown. It combines cohort, migrant group, status, reason for leaving the system and learning route. We sum across cohorts 2022–2026. Route shares exclude blank route fields. Group shares also use this rule within each migrant group. Cohort totals use level 1, migrant-group totals level 2, statuses level 3 and completion reasons level 4. We keep these levels separate to avoid counting people more than once.
DUO hides counts of 1–4 as -1. We exclude those cells. At route level, the file has 58 hidden cells. Their combined count is 108 people, found by comparing the detailed total with the overall cohort total. The route counts therefore leave out 108 people across the recorded-route and blank-route groups. We round the counts and shares in the tables.
Your route and deadline
If your PIP is ready, use the route and requirements written there to plan your lessons and exams. If you are still waiting for a route, ask your gemeente about your PIP. The national percentages describe other people’s routes. Your PIP sets yours.
Use the start date in DUO’s letter to check your own three-year integration period. A year in the cohort table is the year of the obligation decision. It is not enough to calculate your deadline.
These guides explain your personal plan, exam choice and deadline:
- Author
- By Inburgering.org team
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by Kirill Svavolia
Official Sources
- DUO: WI 2021 Instroom, Uitstroom en Leerroute (inflow, outflow and learning route) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Dataset wi-2021, from the integration information system. Monthly updates. CSV refreshed 8 September 2026, covering decisions from 2022 through August 2026. Counts of 1–4 are masked as -1.
- CBS: Statistiek Wet inburgering (civic integration statistics, SWI) dashboard (External site, opens in a new tab) - Dashboard on the obligated population, learning routes, personal plans and exams, with CSV downloads. Covers data through December 2025; 2025 figures are preliminary.
- Rijksoverheid (Dutch government): Wet inburgering 2021 (External site, opens in a new tab) - The law in force from 1 January 2022, the three learning routes, and the gemeente’s role in setting your route and personal plan.
- DUO: reading the WI 2021 open data (External site, opens in a new tab) - Definitions of decision years and migrant groups, blank route fields, privacy masking and monthly updates.
- DUO: starting integration under the 2021 Act (External site, opens in a new tab) - Your personal plan records your route and exams. DUO sends your integration start date after the plan is established. The normal period is three years.
- DUO: requirements for each learning route (External site, opens in a new tab) - Language and participation requirements for the three routes, exemptions and optional language exams in the Z-route.
- DUO: extra time to integrate (External site, opens in a new tab) - Reasons why DUO may extend the normal three-year integration period.