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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Analysis unit

Persons Persons not organized into households; age grouped into categories; virtual census

UNITS IDENTIFIED: - Dwellings: no - Vacant Units: No - Households: no - Individuals: yes - Group quarters: no

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS: - Dwellings: no - Households: Individuals living in the same dwelling and sharing at least one meal. - Group quarters: Group of persons who share a common roof and food because of work, health, religion, etc.

Universe

The entire population of the country: 15,985,538 persons. Microdata are available for 1.19 % of the population, but exclude the institutional population.

Sampling procedure

MICRODATA SOURCE: Central Bureau of Statistics (Statistics Netherlands)

SAMPLE SIZE (person records): 189725.

SAMPLE DESIGN: 1% sample of the total population, consisting of records of persons prevailing in most sources

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Dependent on source: register or survey

In the year 1800, the population of the region which makes up the present-day Netherlands was approximately two million people. The beginning of the 19th century was a tumultuous time in Dutch history, as the region had recently been annexed by Revolutionary France; however the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was eventually established in 1815 (which also included present-day Belgium and Luxembourg) and a period of economic growth, modernization and high quality of life followed. In spite of this economic prosperity, religious tensions between the predominantly Catholic south and Protestant north led to a split in the kingdom in 1839, where it was eventually partitioned into Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, along borders very similar to today's. Rapid modernization and liberalization continued throughout the 19th century, and in 1900 the population of the Netherlands was over five million people.

Early 20th century The Netherlands was free to continue economic expansion, both in the metropole and in its colonies, uninterrupted for much of the first half of the 20th century (partly facilitated by its neutrality in the First World War). This resulted in a steady rise in population, which doubled to ten million within half a century. Population growth would even continue throughout the Second World War, as the Netherlands would be spared from much of the casualty-heavy conflicts seen in neighboring countries; however, most estimates concur that approximately 210,000 Dutch people died as a result of the war, half of which were Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The war also saw the end of Dutch colonization in the East Indies, as Japan annexed the region of present-day Indonesia in 1942; although the Dutch tried to re-colonize the region after the war, Indonesia became an officially recognized independent nation in 1949.

Netherlands today Population growth in the Netherlands would continue largely uninterrupted in the post-war years, until the 1970s, when it began to slow as Western Europe experienced periods of recession and high unemployment. Improvements in contraceptives and education also saw birth rates fall at their fastest ever rates in the 1970s. Following the recovery of the Dutch economy in the 1990s, population growth would resume once more, continuing steadily into the 21th century. In 2020, the Netherlands is estimated to have a population of just over 17 million people, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. For its size, the Netherlands has one of the strongest economies globally, and often ranks among the highest in terms of development, freedom and quality of life.

The most important key figures about population, households, population growth, births, deaths, migration, marriages, marriage dissolutions and change of nationality of the Dutch population. 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: 1899 Status of the figures: The 2023 figures on stillbirths and perinatal mortality are provisional, the other figures in the table are final. Changes as of 23 December 2024: Figures with regard to population growth for 2023 and figures of the population on 1 January 2024 have been added. The provisional figures on the number of stillbirths and perinatal mortality for 2023 do not include children who were born at a gestational age that is unknown. These cases were included in the final figures for previous years. However, the provisional figures show a relatively larger number of children born at an unknown gestational age. Based on an internal analysis for 2022, it appears that in the majority of these cases, the child was born at less than 24 weeks. To ensure that the provisional 2023 figures do not overestimate the number of stillborn children born at a gestational age of over 24 weeks, children born at an unknown gestational age have now been excluded. Changes as of 15 December 2023: None, this is a new table. This table succeeds the table Population; households and population dynamics; 1899-2019. See section 3. The following changes have been made: - The underlying topic folders regarding 'migration background' have been replaced by 'Born in the Netherlands' and 'Born abroad'; - The origin countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey have been assigned to the continent of Asia (previously Europe). When will the new figures be published? The figures for the population development in 2023 and the population on 1 January 2024 will be published in the second quarter of 2024.

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.

Population, female (% of total population) in Netherlands was reported at 50.32 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Netherlands - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

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 NL: Population: Growth data was reported at 0.600 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.532 % for 2016. Netherlands NL: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.636 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.952 % in 1960 and a record low of 0.161 % in 2006. Netherlands NL: Population: Growth 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. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Health perception, height, obesity, health complaints, physical limitations, psychosocial complaints by sex, type of insurance, 1981 - 2000 Changed on March 25 2010. Frequency: Discontinued.

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

Urban population (% of total population) in Netherlands was reported at 93.45 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Netherlands - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Comprehensive demographic dataset for Dutch Harbor, AK, US including population statistics, household income, housing units, education levels, employment data, and transportation with year-over-year changes.

Netherlands Population: 20 to 45 Years data was reported at 5,291.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,281.000 Person th for 2016. Netherlands Population: 20 to 45 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 3,742.000 Person th from Dec 1899 (Median) to 2017, with 119 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,175.000 Person th in 1991 and a record low of 1,732.000 Person th in 1899. Netherlands Population: 20 to 45 Years 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.

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 September 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.

NL: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data was reported at 98.268 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 98.158 % for 2014. NL: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 98.206 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2015, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.545 % in 2007 and a record low of 98.127 % in 2009. NL: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative 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: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

This statistic shows the total population of the Netherlands from 1950 to 2023. In 1950, the total population of the Netherlands was around 10 million people. By 2023, the total population had increased to over 17.81 million people.