Historical population records offer a fragmented but valuable view of communities across the Dutch colonial world.
Datasets
Population & census records
These datasets over overviews of inhabitants, but not exact numbers, even if the original source often did.
- VOC Census Records of Cochin (1700–1775) — Census records documenting the population of Cochin under VOC rule across the eighteenth century.
- Vrijburgers Kaap de Goede Hoop 1716 — Data on the free settler population at the Cape of Good Hope in 1716.
- Overview of People in the TEPC Inventories (1673–1844) — An overview of people recorded in inventories, providing evidence for individuals and social relationships at the Cape.
Demographical overviews
This dataset includes exact numbers of inhabitants.
- Enslaved Demography Batavia (1678–1807) — Demographic data on the enslaved population of Batavia, including patterns of origin, age, sex, and population change.
Related sources
Some resources are not primarily population datasets, but can nevertheless provide useful evidence for studying people, communities, and demographic patterns.
- Namebooks of the Dutch East India Company (1730–1794) — Registers of names and individuals recorded by the VOC, offering additional evidence for population history and patterns of mobility.