Population growth comparison Amsterdam - Berlin - New York City

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The premise of the Sorting Machine concept is that a Global City is characterized by a huge influx of newcomers, most of whom can only stay in the city for a short period of time. Due to Amsterdam's position in the international economy, we conclude that Amsterdam belongs to the Global Cities, just like Berlin and New York City. The question then is whether the large influx is reflected in the development of population growth in Amsterdam and some other Global Cities. Because the theory to be developed for the Sorting Machine also assumes a huge outflow, the data on population growth may provide little or no insight into the functioning of the Sorting Machine. The comparison between Amsterdam and Berlin on the one hand, and New York City on the other, seems to confirm this. ​

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With the population growth figures in Amsterdam, Berlin and New York City over the past 15 years, we want to see the difference between the Global Cities, and whether this reveals a common pattern. Amsterdam and Berlin show approximately the same development pattern, with the wars in Syria and Ukraine, and the Covid period clearly coming to the fore. There is a constant growth of the population, which corresponds to the economic boom. New York City's growth rates deviate from this pattern. Here we also see years of major population decline. Does this mean that New York's position as a Global City has weakened post-Covid, while the US economy has been running at full speed since then? Are New York City (and San Francisco) Losing Their Leading Position as Global Cities? Has the number of newcomers here decreased drastically, and with it their functioning as a Sorting Machine? Or has the sorting machine become even more selective and has the outflow increased as a result?

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Amsterdam, April 24th, 2024