Map of The Netherlands | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1581; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After 18 years of French domination, the Netherlands regained its independence in 1813. 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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 5 46 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 41,543 km²
Land: 33,893 km²
Water: 7,650 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1,053 km
Border countries: (2) Belgium 478 km; Germany 575 km

Coastline: 451 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

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

Elevation
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
Lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
Mean elevation: 30 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 use
Agricultural land: 55.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 29.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 24.2% (2018 est.)
Forest: 10.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 34.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,969 km² (2019)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 2.05 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 5.94 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 31 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 91 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding

Geography
Note: 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


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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: 17,463,930 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.48% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 13.6% (2019 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)
Adjective: Dutch

Ethnic groups: Dutch 75.4%, EU (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesian 2%, other 9.3% (2021 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
Major-language samples:

Religions: 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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.06% (male 1,436,601/female 1,368,697)
15-64 years: 63.08% (male 5,532,490/female 5,483,034)
65 years and over: 20.86% (2023 est.) (male 1,658,652/female 1,984,456)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 54.9
Youth dependency ratio: 24
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.9
Potential support ratio: 3.2 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 41 years
Female: 43.4 years

Population growth rate: 0.48% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 10.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 93.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.174 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 1.018 million Rotterdam (2023)

Environment
Current 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-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 10.74 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 170.78 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 17.79 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 30.2 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 4 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 80.1 years
Female: 83.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 73% (2013)
Note: percent of women aged 18-45

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 11.1% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 4.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 3.2 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 8.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.95 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 2.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 22.2% (2020 est.)
Male: 24.4% (2020 est.)
Female: 19.9% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 19 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 19 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 10%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 9.2%


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Country name
Conventional 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

Capital
Name: Amsterdam; note - The Hague is the seat of government
Geographic 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
Time zone 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), 3 public entities* (openbare lichamen, singular - openbaar lichaam (Dutch); entidatnan publiko, singular - entidat publiko (Papiamento)); Bonaire*, Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslan (Friesland), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Saba*, Sint Eustatius*, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Note 1: 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 population
Note 2: although Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are officially incorporated into the country of the Netherlands under the broad designation of "public entities," Dutch Government sources regularly apply to them the more descriptive term of "special municipalities"; Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are collectively referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands

Dependent areas

Independence: 26 July 1581 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries 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 is observed on the ruling monarch's birthday; currently celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday

Constitution
History: many previous to adoption of the "Basic Law of the Kingdom of the Netherlands" on 24 August 1815; revised 8 times, the latest in 1983
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 2018

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

Citizenship
Citizenship 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 branch
Chief 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 Sigrid KAAG and Wopke HOEKSTRA (since 10 January 2022), Carola SCHOUTEN (since 26 October 2017); note - Mark RUTTE's ruling coalition collapsed on 8 July 2023; he is serving as prime minister in a caretaker status until a new prime minister is named following the 22 November 2023
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
Elections/appointments: 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 branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest 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 House of Representatives 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:

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, 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Birgitta TAZELAAR (since 15 September 2023)
In the us chancery: 4,200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-5,300
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 362-3,430
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Shefali RAZDAN DUGGAL (since 19 October 2022)
From the us embassy: John Adams Park 1, 2,244 BZ Wassenaar
From the us mailing address: 5,780 Amsterdam Place, Washington DC 20,521-5,780
From the us telephone: [31] (70) 310-2,209
From the us FAX: [31] (70) 310-2,207
From the us email address and website:

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 anthem
Name: "Het Wilhelmus" (The William)
Lyrics/music: 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 heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 12 (11 cultural, 1 natural); note - includes one site in Curacao
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: high-income European economy; core EU member; chemical, oil, and machinery exporter; some age-based income inequality; substantial amount of independent contractor employees; manageable public debt; key international aid funder.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household 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 origin
Agriculture: 1.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 70.2% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, potatoes, sugar beets, pork, onions, wheat, poultry, tomatoes, carrots/turnips, beef

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4.93% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 9.902 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 10%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 9.2%

Population below poverty line: 13.6% (2019 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 29.2 (2019 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.3%
Highest 10%: 24.9% (2014 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $396.687 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $374.166 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: 1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 24.38% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:
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

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: Germany 20%, Belgium 12%, United Kingdom 9%, France 7%, United States 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, packaged medicines, photography equipment, computers (2021)

Imports:
Partners: Germany 15%, China 11%, Belgium 9%, United States 8%, Russia 7%, United Kingdom 5% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, computers, cars (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 43.409 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 109.796 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 22.433 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 19.773 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 5.059 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 68.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 3.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 13.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 1.879 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 8.241 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 20.164 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 21.552 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 497 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 76,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 915,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 8,800 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 1,096,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 137.7 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.282 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 2.406 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 2.148 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 32.858 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 44.753 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 42.827 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 55.767 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 132.608 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 214.416 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 23.15 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 116.24 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 75.027 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 219.606 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4.57 million (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 29 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 21.888 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

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

Internet
Country code: .nl
Users total: 16.56 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 92% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 7,525,016 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 44 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Netherlands (Dutch) Armed Forces (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht): Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Constabulary) (2023)
Note 1: the Netherlands Coast Guard and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard are civilian in nature but managed by the Royal Netherlands Navy
Note 2: the national police maintain internal security in the Netherlands and report to the Ministry of Justice and Security, which oversees law enforcement organizations, as do the justice ministries in Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten

Military service age and obligation: 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; must be a citizen of the Netherlands (2023)
Note: in 2023, women made up about 14% of the military's full-time personnel

Space program
Overview: has an active space program focused on the added value of space on science, the economy, and society, as well as the development of cutting edge space technologies and services based on satellite data; builds and operates satellites; researches and develops technologies related to astrophysics, telecommunications, remote sensing (RS), propulsion systems, atmospheric measuring instruments (such as spectrometers), planetary/exoplanetary research, and robotics; active member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and participates in the construction of ESA satellite launch vehicles (Arienne and VEGA) and in the ESA astronaut training program; participates in international space programs and with other foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Japan, the US, and members of the EU; has a robust commercial space sector tied in to the larger European space economy (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 8 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 238
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 43,996,044 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 5,886,510,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: PH

Airports: 29 (2021)
With paved runways: 23
With paved runways civil airports: 6
With paved runways military airports: 5
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 2
With paved runways other airports: 10
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 6
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 14,000 km gas, 2,500 km oil and refined products, 3,000 km chemicals (2017)

Railways
Total: 3,055 km (2020) 2,310 km electrified

Roadways
Total: 139,124 km (2016) (includes 3,654 km of expressways)

Waterways: 6,237 km (2012) (navigable by ships up to 50 tons)

Merchant marine
Total: 1,175 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 11, container ship 37, general cargo 543, oil tanker 26, other 558

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: IJmuiden, Vlissingen
Container ports teus: Rotterdam (15,300,000) (2021)
Lng terminals import: Gate (Rotterdam)
River ports: Amsterdam (Nordsee Kanaal); Moerdijk (Hollands Diep River); Rotterdam (Rhine River); Terneuzen (Western Scheldt River)


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Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 53,496 (Syria), 19,204 (Eritrea), 7,106 (Turkey), 5,593 (Iran), 5,152 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 136,470 (Ukraine) (as of 30 September 2023)
Stateless persons: 4,570 (2022)

Illicit drugs: a major transit hub for illicit substances, especially cocaine from South and Central America and methamphetamine from Mexico; homegrown synthetic drug makers and illegal chemical precursor manufacturers selling dangerous drugs, including synthetic opioids, via the internet to customers in the United States and worldwide