Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Official:
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Local name:
Nederland
Region:
Western Europe
Surface area:
41,543 km²
Capital:
Amsterdam
Geography
The Netherlands is located on the North Sea coast in Western Europe, bordering Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. It is known for its flat terrain and extensive polders, which are protected by dikes with a total length of over 3000 km.
The name "Netherlands" refers to the special landscape. Around a quarter of the country lies below sea level - on average it is just 30 above sea level. There are no mountains or even ranges in the Netherlands. Overall, the topography is characterized by a flat landscape and numerous waterways. The inland is criss-crossed by plains, rivers and canals. The Rhine-Meuse Delta in South Holland is a vast landscape of numerous bodies of water, which is also of great importance for European inland shipping with its connection to Rotterdam. In the north of the country lies the IJsselmeer, an artificial inland sea of around 1100 km², which is separated from the North Sea by a 32 km long dyke. Large polders have been drained and made usable here over decades. There are around 40 islands along the coast. The highest natural elevation is the Vaalserberg in the far south with a height of only 322 meters.
The area of the Netherlands is around 41,543 square kilometers and the population is around 17.70 million people. This results in an average population density of 426.1 inhabitants per square kilometer, which is very high by international standards. Around 92.9% of the population live in urban areas.
On further pages:
Current time in the Netherlands:
00:00
April 2024
The countrywide time in the Netherlands is Central European Time (CET), which is currently 6 hours ahead of New York.
As in many countries far away from the equator, there is a daylight savings time in the summer. Related to GMT, the time difference is usually +1 hours in summer and +2 hours in winter. The next time change will be on October 27 at 2:00 am (local time).
Time zones and clock changesPublic Holidays in the NetherlandsSunrise + Sunset
Population
Population:17,701,000
Population per km²:426.1
Life expectancy males:Ø 79.9 years
Birth rate:
10.2 ‰
Death rate:
9.8 ‰
Males/Females:
49.7% : 50.3%
Population pyramid
The currency in the Netherlands is the euro (EUR).
1 Euro is divided into 100 Cent.
Status: 04/12/2024
1 US dollar = 0.94 Euros
1 Euro = 1.07 US dollar
Climate in the Netherlands
The Netherlands borders the North Sea in the west and north, which also has a decisive influence on the climate. Overall, there is a temperate maritime climate with continental influences. Summers are usually warm, but not too hot. Winters are also comparatively mild with average temperatures around freezing point. The cold air from the North Sea reaches the coastal areas by the middle of the year, resulting in lower temperatures than inland. Away from the coast, the Atlantic influence decreases. In autumn and winter, storms, some of them violent, occur throughout the country, with larger amounts of precipitation.
Average daytime and nighttime temperatures
- Detailed climate data for the Netherlands and 10 individual provinces
Languages
Official language:
Dutch
| Mother tongue | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Dutch | 95.6 % |
| Fries | 3.7 % |
| Arabic | 0.9 % |
| Turkish | 0.8 % |
Religions
| Religion | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Reformed Christs | 9.0% |
| Calvinists | 3.0% |
| Roman Catholics | 28.0% |
| other Protestants | 7.0% |
| Muslims | 5.0% |
| Jews | 0.2% |
| nondenominational | 42.0% |
| other | 5.8% |
more...
Economy
| GDP: | 1,009.40 bn $ |
| Exportations: | 944.42 bn $ |
| Importations: | 835.47 bn $ |
| Budget surplus: | 93 M $ |
| › Tourism receipts: | 10.53 bn $ |
| › Debt rate: | 48.51 % |
| › Unemployment rate: | 3.54 % |
| › Inflation rate: | 10.00 % |
| › Corruption index: | 79 (good) |
| › Energy consumption: | 109.8 bn kWh |
With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.946, the Netherlands counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition. The IMF also shares this classification.
With an average annual income of 60,230 USD the Netherlands are one of the high-income countries. Even considering purchasing power parity, they are still among the 20 richest countries in the world.
The Netherlands are sometimes referred to as a tax haven.
Land use
| 31% Urban areas: | 12,803 km² |
| 55% Agricultural areas: | 22,653 km² |
| 11% Forest: | 4,557 km² |
| 19% Water areas: | 7,853 km² |
| 4% Others: | 1,529 km² |
more...
Transport
| Roadways: | 139,124 km |
| Railways: | 3,055 km |
| Waterways: | 6,297 km |
| Reg. vehicles: | 10,248,388 |
| › Airports: |
Most important cities
Population refers to the city proper, not metropolitan areas.
| City | Province | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam / Capital | North-Holland | 918,000 |
| The Hague / seat of government | South-Holland | 563,000 |
| Rotterdam | South-Holland | 664,000 |
| Utrecht | Utrecht | 368,000 |
| Eindhoven | Northbrabant | 244,000 |
| Groningen | Groningen | 238,000 |
| Tilburg | Northbrabant | 228,000 |
| Almere Stad | Flevoland | 223,000 |
| Breda | Northbrabant | 186,000 |
| Nijmegen | Gelderland | 182,000 |
| Apeldoorn | Gelderland | 167,000 |
| Arnhem | Gelderland | 166,000 |
| Haarlem | North-Holland | 165,000 |
| Enschede | Overijssel | 161,000 |
| Amersfoort | Utrecht | 161,000 |
| Zaanstad | North-Holland | 160,000 |
| 's-Hertogenbosch | Northbrabant | 159,000 |
| Zwolle | Overijssel | 132,000 |
| Leiden | South-Holland | 127,000 |
| Leeuwarden | Friesland | 127,000 |
| Zoetermeer | South-Holland | 127,000 |
| Maastricht | Limburg | 123,000 |
| Ede | Gelderland | 122,000 |
| Lelystad | Flevoland | 83,000 |
| Assen | Drenthe | 69,000 |
| Middelburg | Zeeland | 50,000 |
Political indicators
(Based on the "Worldwide Governance Indicators" project of the World Bank)
| Political stability: | ◈ |
| Rule of law: | ◈ |
| Effectivity: | ◈ |
| Regulatory quality: | ◈ |
| Voice accountability: | ◈ |
| Democratic values: | ◈ |
| Death penalty: | abolished in 1982 |
Existing trade agreements
- CETA - Canadian-European Trade Agreement
- EMU - Economic and Monetary Union
Alliances
- ADB - Asian Development Bank
- European Union
- NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- OECD
- OSZE
- PfP - Partnership for Peace
- Schengen Countries
- UN - United Nations
- UNESCO
- WTO - World Trade Organization
Dependent territories
Aruba (Caribbean)
Caribbean Netherlands (Caribbean)
Curacao (Caribbean)
Sint Maarten (Caribbean)
Country comparison: Netherlands / United StatesThe United States of America and the Netherlands compared: demography, Economy, energy, languages and further dimensions.
Germany: country data and statisticsGermany in numbers: demographics, economy, energy, climate and more data and comparisons with other countries.
UTC: Universal Time CoordinatedExplanation and use of the zone time 'Universal Time Coordinated' and its differences to regional time zones.
