As of January 1, 2023, there were approximately 3.8 million people younger than 20 years living in the Netherlands. The largest age group was formed by those between 40 and 65 years old. Together, this age group numbered nearly six million people. The retired population of the Netherlands consisted of approximately 3.5 million people. Considering this make-up of Dutch society, it is not surprising there are so many debates on increasing the retirement age. The ratio of the non-working population to the working population has decreased between 1950 and today.

Old age pensions grew steadily

When reaching the retirement age, there is an insurance scheme which covers everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands, regardless of nationality. This basic pension scheme is called AOW (National Old Age Pensions Act), though for those who have not lived in the Netherlands for a full 50 years, the pension is proportional. Between 1998 and 2019, the number of old age pensions grew steadily, reaching a total of 3.42 million pensions in 2019. As of the same year, disability pensions had approximately 3.84 million members, which is an increase of 276,000 pensions compared to the previous year.

Decrease in company pension funds

The number of company pension funds decreased drastically over a period of 21 years. In 1997, 957 pension funds by companies were registered, whereas by 2019 this decreased to a total of just 148 company pension schemes.

Of the 17.81 million people living in the Netherlands in 2023, roughly 4.83 million people had a migration background, defined as first or second generation migrants. Of the non-Western population, the majority of the inhabitants had a Turkish background, as can be seen in this statistic on the background of the non-Western population in the Netherlands. The second-largest group is formed by the population with a Moroccan background.

Population growth in The Netherlands by birth, death and migration by sex and region.

In addition to national data, information is presented by group of provinces, province, COROP region and municipality.

The regional totals shown concern cumulated municipal data. Where changes of municipal boundaries transect regional boundaries, the municipal classifications concerns the most recent situation. The municipality of Vianen, for example, was annexed by the province of Utrecht on 1 January 2002, and is classified under the province of Utrecht in the Table.

Data available from: 1942

Status of the figures: All data recorded in this publication are final data. Up to 1977 data may differ from other published data on StatLine. This is due to differences between the data files used by Statistics Netherlands and the official data as published in 'Loop van de bevolking per gemeente'.

Changes as of 9 July 2025: Final figures of 2024 have been added.

When will new figures be published? In the 3rd quarter of 2026 figures of 2025 will be added in this table.

The total population in Netherlands was estimated at 18.0 million people in 2025, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Netherlands Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2023, 17.81 million people were living in the Netherlands. The most populated age group was 50 to 55 years old, with 1.28 million people in that age range. Of these, 635,000 were male, and 640,000 were female. The distribution between male and female population was somewhat equal for all age groups, until the highest age groups. For 100 years and older, there were around 2,200 females and only about 400 males, while the distribution for people between the ages of 95 to 100 was 5,700 males and 18,100 females.

How is the population distributed by province?

The Netherlands counts 12 provinces, and naturally, the Dutch population is not distributed among them equally. In 2022, the most populated province was South Holland which includes cities such as Rotterdam and The Hague with 3.67 million residents. North-Holland, which includes the Dutch capital Amsterdam, had 2.85 million residents. The least populated province was that of Zeeland, with a mere 383,000 residents.

How does the Dutch population compare to the rest of Europe?

In 2021, the Netherlands had the eleventh highest population in Europe, with 17.17 million residents. This puts the Netherlands above Belgium with 11.63 million and below Romania with 19.12 million. Russia is the most populated European country with 145.91 million residents, meaning it has about 8.5 times the population of the Netherlands. The least populated country in Europe other than Vatican city is Gibraltar, with 34,000 inhabitants, meaning it has 0.2 percent of the population of the Netherlands

Netherlands demographics data 2023 at municipality level - 100+ attributes: gender, age bands, marital status, households, employment, and more

Key figures on the population of the Netherlands.

The following information is available: - Population by sex; - Population by marital status; - Population by age (groups); - Population by origin; - Private households; - Persons in institutional households; - Population growth; - Population density.

CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are being replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification is being implemented gradually in tables and publications on population by origin.

Data available from: 1950 Figures on population by origin are only available from 2022 at this moment. The periods 1996 through 2021 will be added to the table at a later time.

Status of the figures: All the figures are final.

Changes as of 8 September 2025: Final figures with regard to population growth for 2024 and final figures of the population on 1 January 2025 have been added.

When will new figures be published? In the last quarter of 2026 final figures with regard to population growth for 2025 and final figures of the population on 1 January 2026 will be added.

Population: East Netherlands data was reported at 3,603.000 Person th in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,584.000 Person th for 2015. Population: East Netherlands data is updated yearly, averaging 1,991.000 Person th from Dec 1899 (Median) to 2016, with 118 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,603.000 Person th in 2016 and a record low of 900.000 Person th in 1899. Population: East Netherlands data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Netherlands. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.G001: Population: Annual.

Complete population data for Netherlands showing how many people live in Netherlands from 1960 to 2024

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Netherlands (POPTOTNLA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Netherlands and population.

Comprehensive socio-economic dataset for Netherlands including population demographics, economic indicators, geographic data, and social statistics. This dataset covers key metrics such as GDP, population density, area, capital city, and regional classifications.

Monthly and long-term Netherlands Population data: historical series and analyst forecasts curated by FocusEconomics.

On January 1, 2023, approximately 8.85 million people living in the Netherlands were male and roughly 8.96 million were female, making the female population in the Netherlands the majority. As this statistic on the life expectancy at birth in the Netherlands shows, women in the Netherlands live some four years longer than men. For this reason it is not surprising that the number of women living in the Netherlands is larger than the number of men. According to a recent forecast, the life expectancy is likely to increase even further in the future, narrowing the gap between the genders to approximately 2.8 years in 2060, but not completely eliminating it.

Actual value and historical data chart for Netherlands Population Male

Population in The Netherlands on 1 January by sex, age, marital status, generation and migration background.

CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are being replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification is being implemented gradually in tables and publications on population by origin.

Data available from 1996 to 2022.

Status of the figures: All figures in the table are final.

Changes per 13 January 2023: None, this table was discontinued.

When will new figures be published? No longer applicable. This table is succeeded by the table Population; sex, age, country of origin, country of birth, 1 January. See section 3.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for the Netherlands (SPPOPGROWNLD) from 1961 to 2024 about Netherlands, population, and rate.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Netherlands Population, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1960-12-31 to 2024-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

This statistic shows the total population of the Netherlands from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population of the Netherlands was around 17.94 million people. Population of the Netherlands Despite its small size, the Netherlands is the twenty-third smallest nation in the European Union, and it is one of the most important nations in Europe and the world. The Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union, a member of the Group of Ten, and NATO. The total population of the Netherlands has rapidly increased over the past decade. Between 2004 and 2014, the total population increased by around 600 thousand people, currently estimated to be around 16.9 million altogether. The biggest cities in the Netherlands include Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague, with Amsterdam alone being home to almost 800 thousand residents. Among other factors, the Netherlands' increasing population is due to high life expectancy, economic growth and job opportunities. In 2011, the population of the Netherlands grew by around 0.47 percent in comparison to 2010. That same year, life expectancy at birth in the Netherlands was a little over 81 years, the highest recorded life expectancy since 2001. In addition, the unemployment rate in the Netherlands is one of the lowest unemployment rates in all of Europe.

Netherlands NL: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data was reported at 11.696 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 11.018 % for 2010. Netherlands NL: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 10.211 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.696 % in 2015 and a record low of 7.927 % in 1990. Netherlands NL: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.; ; United Nations Population Division, Trends in Total Migrant Stock: 2008 Revision.; Weighted average;

Netherlands - Proportion of population aged 25-49 years was 31.40% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Netherlands - Proportion of population aged 25-49 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, Netherlands - Proportion of population aged 25-49 years reached a record high of 34.80% in December of 2010 and a record low of 31.20% in December of 2022.