Netherlands

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

52 31 N, 5 46 E

Europe

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

451 km

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

2,969 sq km (2019)

an area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, but sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine (Rijn), Meuse (Maas), and Scheldt (Schelde)); about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level

Dutch 75.4%, EU (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesian 2%, other 9.3% (2021 est.)

Roman Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.8% (includes Dutch Reformed, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, Calvinist), Muslim 5%, other 5.9% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 54.1% (2019 est.)

0.3% (2025 est.)

10.68 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

an area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, but sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country

1.174 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 1.018 million Rotterdam (2023)

30.2 years (2020 est.)

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.62 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.79 (2025 est.)

3.88 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

20.4% (2016)

53.5% (2023 est.)

parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

26 July 1581 

King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)

lion, daisy

orange

high-income, core EU- and eurozone-member economy; strong services, logistics, and tech sectors; strongly trade-oriented with heightened risks from global tensions; declining inflation aided by easing energy prices and wage growth; rising but manageable deficits and public debt; strong ratings for innovation, competitiveness, and business climate

$1.228 trillion (2024 est.)

milk, sugar beets, potatoes, onions, pork, wheat, chicken, tomatoes, carrots/turnips, beef (2023)

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

-1.5% (2024 est.)

10.315 million (2024 est.)

14.5% (2021 est.)

24.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Germany 16%, Belgium 15%, France 11%, Italy 6%, USA 6% (2023)

refined petroleum, vaccines, machinery, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment (2023)

Germany 16%, Belgium 10%, China 10%, USA 10%, UK 5% (2023)

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, natural gas (2023)

more than 90% of households are connected to cable or satellite TV systems with a wide range of domestic and foreign channels; public service broadcast system includes multiple broadcasters, 3 with a national reach and the remainder in regional and local markets; 2 nationwide commercial TV companies, each with 3 or more stations, and many commercial TV stations in regional and local markets; nearly 600 radio stations with a mix of public and private stations 

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PH

44 (2025)

194 (2025)

Netherlands (Dutch) Armed Forces (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht): Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Constabulary) (2025)

approximately 43,000 active-duty professional military personnel (2025)

the military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically produced and modern European- and US-sourced equipment; the Netherlands has an advanced domestic defense industry that focuses on armored vehicles, naval ships, and air defense systems; it also participates with the US and other European countries on joint development and production of advanced weapons systems (2025)

17 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; the military is an all-volunteer force; conscription remains in place, but the requirement to show up for compulsory military service was suspended in 1997 (2025)

350 Lithuania (NATO); 150 Romania (NATO); approximately 800 deployed to Dutch territories in the Caribbean (2025)