Netherlands Population
Netherlands had an estimated population of 18,087,633 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 71st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.22% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.52% a year.
Netherlands at a glance
How Netherlands's population is changing
Netherlands's population is growing: +0.52% a year, which works out to about +94,394 people per year, or +258 a day. Births (9.2 per 1,000) and deaths (9.6 per 1,000) alone would give −0.04% a year; net migration adds about 104,681 people a year (+0.58%). Roughly one in every 454 people on Earth lives in Netherlands.
Population of Netherlands since 1960
In 1960, Netherlands had 11,486,631 people. By 2025 that was 18,087,633 — 1.6× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 14%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11,486,631 | — |
| 1970 | 13,038,526 | +13.5% |
| 1980 | 14,149,800 | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 14,951,510 | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 15,925,513 | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 16,615,394 | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 17,441,500 | +5.0% |
| 2025 | 18,087,633 | +3.7% |
Netherlands from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Netherlands at about 2,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 18,346,823 in 2025 (9× 1800) and projects 17,507,514 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2041 at 19,066,146 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 3,097,727 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 5,140,189 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 10,113,759 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 16,058,757 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 18,346,823 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 18,958,470 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 18,391,539 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 17,507,514 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Netherlands
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 18,087,633. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | 1,235,985 | UN urban centre | 6.83% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Rotterdam | 1,023,590 | UN urban centre | 5.66% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Utrecht | 519,200 | UN urban centre | 2.87% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Eindhoven | 288,852 | UN urban centre | 1.60% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Leiden | 278,667 | UN urban centre | 1.54% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Dordrecht | 265,349 | UN urban centre | 1.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Haarlem | 215,404 | UN urban centre | 1.19% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Tilburg | 202,735 | UN urban centre | 1.12% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Heerlen | 197,633 | UN urban centre | 1.09% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Nijmegen | 193,964 | UN urban centre | 1.07% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Netherlands compares
Netherlands has almost the same population as Ecuador (18,289,896).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #69 |  Guatemala | 18,687,881 | +3% | compare → |
| #70 |  Ecuador | 18,289,896 | +1% | compare → |
| #72 |  Cambodia | 17,847,982 | −1% | compare → |
| #73 |  Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | −6% | compare → |
Compare Netherlands with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Netherlands
Land neighbours (2)
Netherlands's 2 neighbours together hold 95,433,030 people — 5.3× Netherlands's population. The most populous is Germany (83,491,249).
In its region
Netherlands is the 13th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 1.9% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Netherlands
- Most densely populated countries #23
- Most urbanised countries #15
- Richest countries by GDP per capita #17
Cities
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Leiden, Dordrecht, Haarlem, Tilburg — all Netherlands's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Netherlands when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.