Netherlands Demographics

Population of the Netherlands (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of the Netherlands

Netherlands Population
18,346,819
see live
Yearly Change
+0.65%
Global Share
0.22%
Global Rank
71

Median Age

The median age in the Netherlands is 41.5 years (2025).

Fertility in the Netherlands

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.4
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in the Netherlands

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
82.4
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
84.0
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
80.9
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in the Netherlands


Infant Mortality
3.0
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
3.5
(per 1,000 live births)


Netherlands Urban Population

Currently, 88.9% of the population of the Netherlands is urban (16,318,658 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in the Netherlands is 544 people per Km2 (1,409 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 33,720 Km2 (13,019 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in the Netherlands

# City Population
1 Amsterdam 741,636
2 Rotterdam 598,199
3 The Hague 474,292
4 Utrecht 361,742
5 Groningen 233,218
6 Eindhoven 209,620
7 Tilburg 199,613
8 Almere Stad 176,432
9 Breda 167,673
10 Nijmegen 158,732
11 Enschede 153,655
12 Haarlem 147,590
13 Arnhem 141,674
14 Zaanstad 140,085
15 Amersfoort 139,914
16 Apeldoorn 136,670
17 's-Hertogenbosch 134,520
18 Hoofddorp 132,734
19 Maastricht 122,378
20 Leiden 119,713
21 Dordrecht 119,260
22 Zoetermeer 115,845
23 Zwolle 111,805
24 Hengelo 102,773
25 Venlo 101,603
26 Deventer 97,331
27 Delft 95,060
28 Alkmaar 94,853
29 Heerlen 93,084
30 Leeuwarden 91,424

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.