Background: 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.

Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 41,543 km²
Land: 33,893 km²
Water: 7,650 km²
Rank: 134
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1053 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
Note: nm

Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

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

Elevation
Mean 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 use
Agricultural land: 55.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 10.8% (2011 est.)
Other: 34.1% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 4,860 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: floodingvolcanism: 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

Geography
Note: 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

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: 17,280,397 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 67
Growth rate: 0.37% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 165
Below poverty line: 8.8% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: 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.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.11% (male 1,425,547/female 1,358,894)
15-24 years: 11.91% (male 1,049,000/female 1,008,763)
25-54 years: 38.47% (male 3,334,064/female 3,313,238)
55-64 years: 13.69% (male 1,177,657/female 1,188,613)
65 years and over: 19.82% (male 1,558,241/female 1,866,380) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.6
Youth dependency ratio: 24.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 31.2
Potential support ratio: 3.2 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.8 years
Male: 41.6 years
Female: 44 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 32

Population growth rate: 0.37% (2020 est.)
Rank: 165

Birth rate: 11 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 178

Death rate: 9.2 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 56

Net migration rate: 1.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 49

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: 92.2% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.149 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 1.010 million Rotterdam (2020)

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-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

Sex ratio
At 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 (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.8 years (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.2 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 198

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.7 years
Male: 79.5 years
Female: 84.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 28

Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 153

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

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 10.1% (2017)

Physicians density: 3.61 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 3.3 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 107
People living with hivaids: 24,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 83
Deaths note: <200 (2019 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.4% (2016)
Rank: 99

Education expenditures: 5.2% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 51

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 19 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 19 years (2018)

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
Note: time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, for the constituent countries in the Caribbean, the time difference is UTC-4etymology: 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:

Dependent areas: (3) Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten

Independence: 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

Constitution
History: 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

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 (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

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 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 (vacant)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 representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Andre HASPELS (since 16 September 2019)
In 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 anthem
Name: 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

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 150

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 22

Gross national saving:
Rank: 28

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: 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: 8.907 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 53
By occupation agriculture: 1.2%
By occupation industry: 17.2%
By occupation services: 81.6% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 47

Population below poverty line: 8.8% (2015 est.)

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

Budget
Revenues: 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:
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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 132

Current account balance:
Rank: 4

Exports:
Rank: 7
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:
Rank: 7
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:
Rank: 46

Debt external:
Rank: 5

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
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: 94
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

Petroleum
Petroleum 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

Refined petroleum
Products 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 gas
Production: 45.33 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production 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 emissions
From consumption of energy: 250.2 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 26

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 5,598,798
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32.52 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 25
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 21,914,852
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127.29 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 54

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: 16,243,928
Users percent of population: 94.71% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 41

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 7,406,700
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2018 est.)
Rank: 23

Military expenditures:
Rank: 88

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2016)

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) (2020)
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 a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

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
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: PH (2016)

Airports: 29 (2013)
Rank: 117
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)

Railways
Total: 3,058 km (2016)
Standard gauge: 3,058 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (2,314 km electrified) (2016)
Rank: 61

Roadways
Total: 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 marine
Total: 1217
By type: bulk carrier 13, container ship 43, general cargo 568, oil tanker 22, other 571 (2019)
Rank: 24

Ports and terminals
Major 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)

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 31,694 (Syria), 14,809 (Eritrea), 13,007 (Somalia), 8,423 (Iraq), 5,815 (Afghanistan) (2019)
Stateless persons: 1,951 (2019)

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