* The source implicates people who travel to Syria to assist in the jihad (in Dutch: "Syriëgangers") and specifically states that the exact motivation is hard to trace. One of the reasons to go there, so the source says, "could be the attraction of the warzone (romanticism of the jihad heroics, helping brothers and sisters in need)." The source also mentions that "the jihad ideology in most cases does not allow women to fight at the front."
The HCSS database for jihad fighters is based on a number of different sources: freely accessible material (regular and social media), legal material, government sources as well as interviews with researchers and people directly involved, such as family members, friends, teachers and former jihad fighters. According to the Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid (NCTV) until June 2017 approximately 280 Dutch nationals left for Syria or Iraq, of whom roughly 50 have returned since.
Citation formats
Number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands 2012-2017, by gender
This statistic displays the number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by gender. In 2017, the HSCC database contained the names of *** Dutch nationals who had left for Iraq or Syria to join the jihad. Of these *** jihad fighters, *** were male and ** were female. According to the Dutch government approximately ** jihad fighters had returned to the Netherlands since 2012.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ can support your business.
de Volkskrant. (July 5, 2017). Number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by gender* [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved August 05, 2026, from /statistics/722556/number-of-jihad-fighters-in-the-netherlands-by-gender/
de Volkskrant. "Number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by gender*." Chart. July 5, 2017. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed August 05, 2026. /statistics/722556/number-of-jihad-fighters-in-the-netherlands-by-gender/
de Volkskrant. (2017). Number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by gender*. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: August 05, 2026. /statistics/722556/number-of-jihad-fighters-in-the-netherlands-by-gender/
de Volkskrant. "Number of Jihad Fighters in The Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by Gender*." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 5 Jul 2017, /statistics/722556/number-of-jihad-fighters-in-the-netherlands-by-gender/
de Volkskrant, Number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by gender* ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/722556/number-of-jihad-fighters-in-the-netherlands-by-gender/ (last visited August 05, 2026)
Number of jihad fighters in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017, by gender* [Graph], de Volkskrant, July 5, 2017. [Online]. Available: /statistics/722556/number-of-jihad-fighters-in-the-netherlands-by-gender/
