Population, Mid-Year 2019: 17,097,000
Population Density (Population Per Square Kilometer), Mid-Year 2019: 507
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 17,450,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 28%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 20%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).

Annual Population Growth Rate 2000-2020: 0.3%
Projected Annual Population Growth Rate 2020-2030: 0.2%
Proportion of Urban Population, 2020: 92%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2000-2020: 1.2%
Projected Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2020-2030: 0.4%

“The Netherlands is situated in western Europe where the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt flow into the North Sea. The coastal lowlands and areas of reclaimed land in the west dominate the image of the country abroad, but the eastern and southeastern parts are more hilly. To the east, the Netherlands is bordered by Germany and to the south by Belgium (see Fig. 1.1). The moderate maritime climate brings cool summers and mild winters. With an area of 41 543 km2, of which almost 20% is water, the Netherlands is a relatively small country, but its population of almost 17 million makes it very densely populated (Statistics Netherlands, 2015a).

“Among the 21% of the population in 2014 whose parents were born outside the Netherlands, a small majority are non-western immigrants, especially people from the Antilles and Aruba, Morocco, Surinam and Turkey. Most frequently occurring religions in 2014 were Roman Catholic (26%), Dutch Reformed (7%), Calvinist (6%), Dutch Protestant (5%) and Muslim (5%) (Statistics Netherlands 2015a). Regular (at least monthly) attendance at a church or other religious service has dropped remarkably over the past decades, from 37% in 1971 to 17% in 2012.

“Important demographic trends are ageing and decreasing growth of the population and urbanization. Since the 1980s the proportion of children has steadily decreased, while the proportion of seniors increased (see Table 1.1). In the same period the annual population growth fell strongly to 0.3% in 2014, which is half the average growth among high-income OECD countries. While in 1980 35% of the population still lived in rural areas, this figure has dropped to 10% in 2014, which is also below the average of 20% among high-income OECD countries (World Bank, 2015).”

Source: Kroneman M, Boerma W, van den Berg M, Groenewegen P, de Jong J, van Ginneken E (2016). The Netherlands: health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2016; 18(2):1–239.

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated Nov. 10, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.