Statistical information The Netherlands 2019

The Netherlands in the World
top of pageBackground: The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered German invasion and occupation in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
top of pageLocation: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 41,543 km²
Land: 33,893 km²
Water: 7,650 km²
Rank: 135
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundariesTotal: 1053 km
Border countries: (2) Belgium 478 km;
, Germany 575 kmCoastline: 451 km
Maritime claimsTerritorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200
Note: nm
Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast
ElevationMean elevation: 30 m
Lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
Highest point: Mount Scenery (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) 862 m:
note: the highest point on continental Netherlands is Vaalserberg at 322 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land
Land useAgricultural land: 55.1% (2011 est.)
arable land: 29.8% (2011 est.)
permanent crops: 1.1% (2011 est.)
permanent pasture: 24.2% (2011 est.)
Forest: 10.8% (2011 est.)
Other: 34.1% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,860 km² (2012)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: flooding
volcanism: Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640;; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as The Quill, is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean;; these islands are at the northern end of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends south to Grenada
GeographyNote: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde); about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level
top of pagePopulationDistribution: 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, though sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country: 17,151,228 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 66
Growth rate: 0.38% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 164
Below poverty line: 8.8% (2015 est.)
NationalityNoun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
Adjective: Dutch
Ethnic groups: Dutch 76.9%, EU 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.3%, Indonesian 2.1%, German 2.1%, Surinamese 2%, Polish 1%, other 4.8% (2018 est.)
Languages:
Dutch (official)
note: Frisian is an official language in Fryslan province; Frisian, Low Saxon, Limburgish, Romani, and Yiddish have protected status under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; Dutch is the official language of the three special municipalities of the Caribbean Netherlands; English is a recognized regional language on Sint Eustatius and Saba; Papiamento is a recognized regional language on Bonaire
Religions: Roman Catholic 23.6%, Protestant 14.9% (includes Dutch Reformed 6.4%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands 5.6%, Calvinist 2.9%), Muslim 5.1%, other 5.6% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 50.7% (2017 est.)
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 16.28% (male 1,428,837 /female 1,362,686)
15-24 years: 12.03% (male 1,052,357 /female 1,011,710)
25-54 years: 39.18% (male 3,371,698 /female 3,348,595)
55-64 years: 13.41% (male 1,143,824 /female 1,155,751)
65 years and over: 19.1% (male 1,487,278 /female 1,788,492) (2018 est.)
Dependency ratiosTotal dependency ratio: 53.1 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 25.6 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 27.4 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.6 (2015 est.)
Median ageTotal: 42.7 years (2018 est.)
Male: 41.6 years
Female: 43.8 years
Rank: 26
Population growth rate: 0.38% (2018 est.)
Rank: 164
Birth rate: 10.9 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 181
Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 62
Net migration rate: 1.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 51
Population distribution: 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, though sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country
UrbanizationUrban population: 91.9% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change
Major urban areasPopulation: 1.14 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 1.009 million Rotterdam (2019)
EnvironmentCurrent issues: water and air pollution are significant environmental problems; pollution of the country's rivers from industrial and agricultural chemicals, including heavy metals, organic compounds, nitrates, and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.6 years (2015 est.)
Maternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rateTotal: 3.5 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 3.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.3 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 199
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 81.5 years (2018 est.)
Male: 79.3 years
Female: 83.8 years
Rank: 27
Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 153
Contraceptive prevalence rate:
73% (2013)
note: percent of women aged 18-45
Drinking water sourceUrban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
Current health expenditure: 10.4% (2016)
Physicians density: 3.51 physicians/1000 population (2016)
Hospital bed density: 4.7 beds/1000 population (2009)
Sanitation facility accessUrban: 2.5% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 0.1% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)
Hiv/AidsAdult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 108
People living with hivaids: 23,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 81
Deaths: 100 (2018 est.)
Deaths rank: 65
Major infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rate: 20.4% (2016)
Rank: 99
Alcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2016)
Rank: 39
LiteracySchool life expectancy primary to tertiary educationTotal: 18 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 18 years (2016)
Youth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands
Conventional short form: Netherlands
Local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
Local short form: Nederland
Abbreviation: NL
Etymology: the country name literally means the lowlands and refers to the geographic features of the land being both flat and down river from higher areas (i.e., at the estuaries of the Scheldt, Meuse, and Rhine Rivers; only about half of the Netherlands is more than 1 meter above sea level)
Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
CapitalName: Amsterdam; note - The Hague is the seat of governmentGeographic coordinates: 52 21 N, 4 55 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October:
note: time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, for the constituent countries in the Caribbean, the time difference is UTC-4
etymology: the original Dutch name, Amstellerdam, meaning 'a dam on the Amstel River,' dates to the 13th century; over time the name simplified to Amsterdam
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslan (Friesland), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
note: the Netherlands is one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three, Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, are all islands in the Caribbean; while all four parts are considered equal partners, in practice, most of the Kingdom's affairs are administered by the Netherlands, which makes up about 98% of the Kingdom's total land area and populationnote: three other Caribbean islands, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, are considered to be special municipalities of the Netherlands proper
Dependent areas:
(3) Aruba,
Curacao,
Sint MaartenIndependence: 23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581, they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)
National holiday: King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967); note - King's or Queen's Day are observed on the ruling monarch's birthday; currently celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday
ConstitutionHistory: previous 1597, 1798; latest adopted 24 August 1815 (substantially revised in 1848)
Amendments: proposed as an Act of Parliament by or on behalf of the king or by the Second Chamber of the States General; the Second Chamber is dissolved after its first reading of the Act; passage requires a second reading by both the First Chamber and the newly elected Second Chamber, followed by at least two-thirds majority vote of both chambers, and ratification by the king; amended many times, last in 2010 (2016)
Legal system: civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General
International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
CitizenshipCitizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Netherlands
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013); Heir Apparent Princess Catharina-Amalia (daughter of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER, born 7 December 2003)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mark RUTTE (since 14 October 2010; Deputy Prime Ministers (since 26 October 2017) Hugo DE JONGE, Karin Kajsa OLLONGREN, and Carola SCHOUTEN (since 26 October 2017); note - Mark RUTTE heads his third cabinet put in place since 26 October 2017
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy prime ministers are appointed by the monarch
Legislative branchDescription:bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of:
First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the countrys 12 provincial council members by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve up to 4-year terms)
Elections:
First Chamber - last held on 27 May 2019 (next to be held on NA May 2023)
Second Chamber - last held on 15 March 2017 (next to be held 15 March 2021)
Election results:
First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FvD 12, VVD 12, CDA 9, GL 8, D66 7, MvdA 6, PVV 5, SP 4, CU 4, other 8; composition - men 49, women 26, percent of women 34.7%
Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - VVD 21.3%, PVV 13.1%, CDA 12.4%, D66 12.2%, GL 9.1%, SP 9.1%, PvdA 5.7%, CU 3.4%, PvdD 3.2%, 50 Plus 3.1%, other 7.4%; seats by party - VVD 33, PVV 20, CDA 19, D66 19, GL 14, SP 14, PvdA 9, CU 5, PvdD 5, 50 Plus 4, other 8; composition - men 96, women 54, percent of women 36%; note - total States General percent of women 35.6%
Judicial branchHighest courts: Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (consists of 41 judges: the president, 6 vice presidents, 31 justices or raadsheren, and 3 justices in exceptional service, referred to as buitengewone dienst); the court is divided into criminal, civil, tax, and ombuds chambers
Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the monarch from a list provided by the Second Chamber of the States General; justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts; Netherlands Commercial Court
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Sybrand VAN HAERSMA BUMA]Christian Union or CU [Gert-Jan SEGERS]Democrats 66 or D66 [Rob JETTEN]Denk [Tunahan KUZU]50 Plus [Henk KROL]Forum for Democracy or FvD [Thierry BAUDET]Green Left or GL [Jesse KLAVER]Labor Party or PvdA [Lodewijk ASSCHER]Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD [Mark RUTTE]Reformed Political Party or SGP [Kees VAN DER STAAIJ]Socialist Party or SP [Emile ROEMER]plus a few minor parties
International organization participation: 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, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chancery: 4,200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-5,300, [1] 877-388-2,443
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 362-3,430
In the us consulate: Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Peter HOEKSTRA (since 10 January 2018)
From the us telephone: [31] (70) 310-2,209
From the us embassy: John Adams Park 1, 2,244 BZ Wassenaar
From the us mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 9,715
From the us FAX: [31] (70) 310-2,207
From the us consulate: Amsterdam
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (bright vermilion; top), white, and blue (cobalt); similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; the colors were derived from those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange, but because its dye tended to turn red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use
National symbols: lion, tulip; national color: orange
National anthemName: Het Wilhelmus (The William)
Lyricsmusic: Philips VAN MARNIX van Sint Aldegonde (presumed)/unknown:
note: adopted 1932, in use since the 17th century, making it the oldest national anthem in the world; also known as 'Wilhelmus van Nassouwe' (William of Nassau), it is in the form of an acrostic, where the first letter of each stanza spells the name of the leader of the Dutch Revolt
National heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, plays an important role as a European transportation hub, with a consistently high trade surplus, stable industrial relations, and low unemployment. Industry focuses on food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for food-processing and underpins the country’s status as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter.The Netherlands is part of the euro zone, and as such, its monetary policy is controlled by the European Central Bank. The Dutch financial sector is highly concentrated, with four commercial banks possessing over 80% of banking assets, and is four times the size of Dutch GDP.In 2008, during the financial crisis, the government budget deficit hit 5.3% of GDP. Following a protracted recession from 2009 to 2013, during which unemployment doubled to 7.4% and household consumption contracted for four consecutive years, economic growth began inching forward in 2014. Since 2010, Prime Minister Mark RUTTE’s government has implemented significant austerity measures to improve public finances and has instituted broad structural reforms in key policy areas, including the labor market, the housing sector, the energy market, and the pension system. In 2017, the government budget returned to a surplus of 0.7% of GDP, with economic growth of 3.2%, and GDP per capita finally surpassed pre-crisis levels. The fiscal policy announced by the new government in the 2018-2021 coalition plans for increases in government consumption and public investment, fueling domestic demand and household consumption and investment. The new government’s policy also plans to increase demand for workers in the public and private sector, forecasting a further decline in the unemployment rate, which hit 4.8% in 2017.
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$924.4 billion (2017 est.)
$898.6 billion (2016 est.)
$879.4 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 27
Real gdp growth rate:
2.9% (2017 est.)
2.2% (2016 est.)
2% (2015 est.)
Rank: 118
Real gdp per capita:
$53,900 (2017 est.)
$52,800 (2016 est.)
$51,900 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 23
Gross national saving:
31.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
28.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
28.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 28
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useHousehold consumption: 44.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 24.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 83% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -72.3% (2017 est.)
Gdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 1.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 70.2% (2017 est.)
Agriculture products: vegetables, ornamentals, dairy, poultry and livestock products; propagation materials
Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (2017 est.)
Rank: 96
Labor force: 7.969 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 63
By occupation agriculture: 1.2%
By occupation industry: 17.2%
By occupation services: 81.6% (2015 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.9% (2017 est.)
6% (2016 est.)
Rank: 69
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: 8.8% (2015 est.)
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareLowest 10: 2.3%
Highest 10: 24.9% (2014 est.)
Distribution of family income gini index:
30.3 (2015 est.)
25.1 (2013 est.)
Rank: 134
BudgetRevenues: 361.4 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 352.4 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 32
Taxes and other revenues: 43.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 27
Public debt:
56.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
61.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Rank: 78
RevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer prices:
1.3% (2017 est.)
0.1% (2016 est.)
Rank: 70
Central bank discount rate:
0% (31 December 2016)
0.05% (31 December 2015)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Rank: 158
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
1.33% (31 December 2017 est.)
1.47% (31 December 2016 est.)
Rank: 192
Stock of narrow money:
$419 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$364.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Rank: 13
Stock of broad money:
$419 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$364.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Rank: 13
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.687 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.547 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Rank: 14
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$652.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$735.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$675 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Rank: 17
Current account balance:
$87.46 billion (2017 est.)
$62.92 billion (2016 est.)
Rank: 4
Exports:
$555.6 billion (2017 est.)
$495.4 billion (2016 est.)
Rank: 6
Partners: Germany 24.2%, Belgium 10.7%, UK 8.8%, France 8.8%, Italy 4.2% (2017)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and livestock, manufactured goods
Imports:
$453.8 billion (2017 est.)
$402.9 billion (2016 est.)
Rank: 10
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing
Partners: China 16.4%, Germany 15.3%, Belgium 8.5%, US 6.9%, UK 5.1%, Russia 4.3% (2017)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$38.44 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$38.21 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 46
Debt external:
$4.063 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
$4.054 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 5
Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
$5.499 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)
$4.759 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Rank: 1
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
$6.579 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)
$5.623 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Rank: 1
Exchange rates:
0.885 (2017 est.)
0.903 (2016 est.)
0.9214 (2015 est.)
0.885 (2014 est.)
0.7634 (2013 est.)
top of pageElectricityAccess electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 109.3 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 33
Consumption: 108.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 32
Exports: 19.34 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 8
Imports: 24.26 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 7
Installed generating capacity: 34.17 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 29
Generation sources fossil fuels: 75% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 95
Generation sources nuclear: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 31
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 189
Generation sources other renewable sources: 23% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 32
CoalPetroleumPetroleum total petroleum production: 18,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 67
Crude oil exports: 7,984 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 62
Crude oil imports: 1.094 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 10
Crude oil proven reserves: 81.13 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 72
Crude oilRefined petroleumProducts production: 1.282 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 17
Products consumption: 954,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 23
Products exports: 2.406 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 3
Products imports: 2.148 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 3
Natural gasProduction:45.33 billion m³ (2017 est.)
note: the Netherlands has curbed gas production due to seismic activity in the province of Groningen, largest source of gas reserves
Production rank: 17
Consumption: 43.38 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 21
Exports: 51.25 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 8
Imports: 51 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 7
Proven reserves: 801.4 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 26
Carbon dioxide emissionsFrom consumption of energy: 250.2 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 26
Energy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesFixed lines total subscriptions: 6.551 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 26
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 20.532 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 55
Telephone systemGeneral assessment: highly developed and well maintained; while fixed-line voice market is in decline the VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) and mobile platforms advance; one of the highest fixed broadband penetration rates in the world; government investments; preparations for 5G trials, plans for 3G network shutdown in 2022; LTE-A services; MNOs and banks launch m-payments system (2019)
Domestic: extensive fixed-line, fiber-optic network; large cellular telephone system with five major operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications technology; one in five households now use Voice over the Internet Protocol services; fixed-line 38 per 100 and mobile-cellular 120 per 100 persons (2018)
International: country code - 31; landing points for Farland North, TAT-14, Circe North, Concerto, Ulysses 2, AC-1, UK-Netherlands 14, and COBRAcable submarine cables which provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 5 (3 Intelsat - 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat) (2019)
Broadcast media: more than 90% of households are connected to cable or satellite TV systems that provide a wide range of domestic and foreign channels; public service broadcast system includes multiple broadcasters, 3 with a national reach and the remainder operating in regional and local markets; 2 major nationwide commercial television 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 providing national or regional coverage
InternetCountry code: .nl
Users total: 15,385,203
Users percent of population: 90.4% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 39
Broadband fixed subscriptionsTotal: 7,210,800
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (2017 est.)
Rank: 22
top of pageMilitary expenditures:
1.36% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.21% of GDP (2018)
1.15% of GDP (2017)
1.16% of GDP (2016)
1.13% of GDP (2015)
Rank: 88
Military and security forces: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Marechaussee (Military Police) (2019)
Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2016)
Space programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemNumber of registered air carriers: 8 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 244 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 34,870,204 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 5,292,794,685
Note: mt-km (2015)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: PH (2016)
Airports: 29 (2013)
Rank: 118
With paved runways total: 23 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 11 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 6 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2013)
Heliports: 1 (2013)
Pipelines: 14,000 km gas, 2,500 km oil and refined products, 3,000 km chemicals (2016)
RailwaysTotal: 3,058 km (2016)
Standard gauge: 3,058 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (2,314 km electrified) (2016)
Rank: 61
RoadwaysTotal: 139,124 km
Note: (includes 3,654 km of expressways) (2016)
Rank: 37
Waterways: 6,237 km
Note: (navigable by ships up to 50 tons) (2012)
Rank: 21
Merchant marineTotal: 1233
By type: bulk carrier 13, container ship 41, general cargo 586, oil tanker 21, other 572 (2018)
Rank: 23
Ports and terminalsMajor seaport: IJmuiden, Vlissingen
Container port: Rotterdam (13,734,000) (2017)
LNG terminal: Rotterdam
River port: Amsterdam (Nordsee Kanaal); Moerdijk (Hollands Diep River); Rotterdam (Rhine River); Terneuzen (Western Scheldt River)
top of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsRefugees: 32,092 (Syria), 15,478 (Somalia), 14,931 (Eritrea), 9,259 (Iraq), 6,267 (Afghanistan) (2017)
Stateless persons: 1,951 (2018)
Illicit drugs: major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy and a significant consumer of ecstasy; a large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering