Netherlands

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage and dikes
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- The heritage of Dutch humanism
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance, trade, and services
- Labor and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
- Environmental control
Cultural life
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
  - Painting and sculpture
  - Literature and the performing arts
  - Music
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- The Union of Utrecht
- Foreign intervention
- The formation of a new government
- Ascendancy of the Dutch economy
- The Twelve Years’ Truce
- War with Spain (1621–48)
- The first stadtholderless period
- William III
- Dutch civilization in the Golden Age (1609–1713)
  - The economy
  - Society
  - Religion
  - Culture
- The 18th century
  - Economic and political stagnation
  - The Patriot movement
- The period of French dominance (1795–1813)
  - The Batavian Republic (1795–1806)
  - The Kingdom of Holland and the French Empire (1806–13)
- The Kingdom of the Netherlands (1814–1918)
  - King William I
  - William II and William III
  - Queen Wilhelmina and World War I
- The Netherlands since 1918
  - World War II
  - The late 20th century
  - Into the 21st century

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

windmills in Netherlands

Explore Holland's population, waterways, and vast tulip cross-breeding and cultivation program

Exploring Amsterdam: Canals, design, and museums

Urk, Netherlands

north dam across the IJsselmeer

For Students

Netherlands summary

Netherlands: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jul 01, 2025

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Facts

Also Known As	Koninkrijk der Nederlanden • Nederland • Holland • Kingdom of The Netherlands
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Dick Schoof
Capital	Amsterdam
Population	(2025 est.) 18,038,000
Currency Exchange Rate	1 USD equals 0.879 euro
Seat Of Government	The Hague
Head Of State	Monarch: King Willem-Alexander
Form Of Government	constitutional monarchy with a parliament (States General) comprising two houses (Senate [75]; House of Representatives [150])
Official Languages	Dutch, Frisian¹
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Total Area (Sq Km)	36,337
Total Area (Sq Mi)	14,030
Monetary Unit	euro (€)
Population Rank	(2025) 70
Population Projection 2030	18,418,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 1,285.7
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 496.4
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 93.5% • Rural: (2024) 6.5%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 80.1 years • Female: (2022) 83.1 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: % • Female: %
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 1,118,009
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 62,540
¹Frisian was adopted as the second national language on June 20, 2013.

Did You Know?

At 1.838 meters, the Dutch have the highest average height in the world.

Photos and Videos

windmills in Netherlands

Urk, Netherlands

north dam across the IJsselmeer

Keukenhof Gardens

Koninck, Philips: View over a Flat Landscape

Explore Holland's population, waterways, and vast tulip cross-breeding and cultivation program

Exploring Amsterdam: Canals, design, and museums

Netherlands: Delta Works flood-control project

Floating houses: A response to rising sea levels

The importance of Rotterdam: Europe's largest seaport

National anthem of the Netherlands

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

list of cities and towns in the Netherlands World War II European Monetary Union Nine-Power Treaty League of Nations European Union Battle of France Battle of Waterloo North Atlantic Treaty Organization nation-state United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

William I

William I

stadholder of United Provinces of The Netherlands

Hugo Grotius

Hugo Grotius

Dutch statesman and scholar

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

Dutch statesman

The Great Condé, engraving by Robert Nanteuil, 1662

Louis II de Bourbon, 4 prince de Condé

French general and prince

Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders

Dutch politician

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte

Mark Rutte

prime minister of the Netherlands and secretary-general of NATO

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd duke de Alba, oil painting by Sir Antony More, 1549; in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3 duque de Alba

Spanish soldier and statesman

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Dutch politician

William I

William I

king of The Netherlands

Silvio Berlusconi and Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

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Bernhard, prince of the Netherlands, prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld

prince of the Netherlands

Louis of Nassau, panel portrait by an unknown artist, 1574; in the Orange Nassau Museum, Delft, Neth.

Louis of Nassau

Dutch political leader

Count van Egmond, painting by an unknown artist, 16th century; in the German National Museum, Nürnberg.

Lamoraal, graaf van Egmond

Dutch noble

Filips van Montmorency, count van Horne

Dutch statesman

Abraham Kuyper

Abraham Kuyper

Dutch theologian and statesman

Willem Drees

prime minister of the Netherlands

William II

William II

king of The Netherlands

Margaret of Austria

regent of The Netherlands [1480-1530]

Karel Doorman

Dutch admiral

Juliana, detail of an oil painting by W.G. Hofker, 1949.

Juliana

queen of The Netherlands

Map showing the countries of Europe with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.

Europe

continent

Exploring Amsterdam: Canals, design, and museums

Amsterdam

national capital, Netherlands

The Hague

The Hague

national seat of government, Netherlands

Fort Oranje, Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles.

Sint Eustatius

island and Dutch special municipality, West Indies

Rotterdam: Erasmus Bridge

Rotterdam

Netherlands

Utrecht

Utrecht

Netherlands

Netherlands Reformed Church, The

Gelderland

province, Netherlands

Haarlem: town hall

Haarlem

Netherlands

Rhine River; Leiden, Netherlands

Leiden

Netherlands

Groningen

Groningen

province, Netherlands

Haarlem: town hall

Noord-Holland

province, Netherlands

Maastricht: St. Servatius Bridge

Maastricht

Netherlands

Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad

Aruba

Sas van Gent, Netherlands

Zeeland

province, Netherlands

Martinikerk (St. Martin's Church), Groningen, Neth.

Groningen

Netherlands

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