ROTTERDAM, 05/05/09 - Rotterdam is approaching the point at which white Dutch will form a minority in the city. Based on the trend, it could have an 'ethnic majority' in 2012, Algemeen Dagblad reported yesterday.

Currently, 52 percent of the population are 'indigenous' and 48 percent, immigrant. According to the official definition, immigrants are persons with at least one parent born abroad.

According to Rotterdam city council's Centre for Research and Statistics (COS), Rotterdam was still 60 percent indigenous in 1990. COS researcher Marco Hoppesteyn did not venture to predict the point at which the share of the indigenous in Rotterdam would be less than 50 percent. Based on the trend in this decade, this could be in 2012. "But various uncertainty factors play a role."

On 1 April, Rotterdam had 588.398 residents, 1,237 more than on 31 December 2008. Completely against the growth trend of the past decade, indigenous numbers declined in Rotterdam. The city had 44,000 fewer people with Dutch roots on 1 April than in 1990.

The 'colouring' of Rotterdam is occurring to a large extent 'from bottom up.' Among those in their 20s and 30s, immigrants are already in the majority. And in the 0-14 category, as much as 62 percent are immigrant.

After the 'original' Dutch, the Surinamese form the biggest ethnic group on Rotterdam, followed by Turks and Moroccans. Not counting east Europeans, population growth is strongest among Antilleans and Moroccans. Rotterdam now has 30 percent more Antilleans (at 20,261) than 10 years ago. The number of Rotterdammers with Moroccan roots grew by 26 percent in the same period to 38,100.