🇳🇱 Netherlands Population 2026

As of 2026, the population of Netherlands is 18,448,775, ranking #71 in the world (0.22% of the global population), based on UN World Population Prospects 2024. The population is growing at 0.51% per year. The biggest city is Rotterdam with 868,135 inhabitants.

Live estimate

18,450,854

Growth rate

0.51%

Density

548

people / km² (1419 / mi²)

Median age

41.5

Fertility rate

1.44

births per woman

Life expectancy

82.6

years

Netherlands population 1950–2100

Population of Netherlands, 1950–2100 — solid: UN estimates, dashed: UN medium-variant projection.

By 2050, the population of Netherlands is projected to reach 18,958,475, and 17,507,518 by 2100. The population is expected to peak in 2041 at 19,066,147, then decline.

Netherlands population by year

Year	Population	Growth	Density /km²	Median age
2026	18,448,775	0.51%	547.9	41.5
2025	18,346,819	0.60%	544.9	41.5
2024	18,228,742	0.69%	541.4	41.4
2023	18,092,524	0.81%	537.3	41.4
2022	17,904,421	1.28%	531.7	41.5
2021	17,730,564	0.66%	526.6	41.6
2020	17,636,731	0.40%	523.8	41.5
2019	17,537,507	0.73%	520.8	41.5
2018	17,421,280	0.60%	517.4	41.5
2017	17,315,370	0.62%	514.3	41.4
2016	17,204,693	0.66%	511.0	41.3
2015	17,107,433	0.47%	508.1	41.2
2014	17,030,089	0.43%	505.8	41.0
2013	16,967,063	0.31%	503.9	40.7
2012	16,915,194	0.30%	502.4	40.4
2011	16,851,057	0.46%	500.5	40.0
2010	16,771,235	0.49%	498.1	39.7
2009	16,684,150	0.55%	495.5	39.3
2008	16,597,258	0.50%	492.9	39.0
2007	16,531,357	0.30%	491.0	38.7
2006	16,493,852	0.16%	489.9	38.3
2005	16,465,710	0.19%	489.0	37.9
2004	16,425,566	0.30%	487.8	37.5
2003	16,366,912	0.41%	486.1	37.2
2002	16,288,051	0.55%	483.7	36.8
2001	16,182,705	0.74%	480.6	36.5
2000	16,058,760	0.79%	476.9	36.2
1999	15,940,184	0.69%	473.4	35.9
1998	15,827,107	0.73%	470.1	35.6
1997	15,723,622	0.58%	467.0	35.3
1996	15,640,027	0.49%	464.5	35.0
1995	15,565,032	0.47%	462.3	34.7
1994	15,485,449	0.55%	459.9	34.4
1993	15,389,720	0.69%	457.1	34.1
1992	15,276,785	0.79%	453.7	33.8
1991	15,155,090	0.81%	450.1	33.5
1990	15,030,878	0.83%	446.4	33.3
1989	14,921,111	0.63%	443.1	33.0
1988	14,825,923	0.65%	440.3	32.8
1987	14,724,947	0.72%	437.3	32.5
1986	14,626,494	0.62%	434.4	32.2
1985	14,538,959	0.58%	431.8	31.9
1984	14,462,807	0.47%	429.5	31.6
1983	14,396,901	0.44%	427.6	31.3
1982	14,333,900	0.43%	425.7	31.0
1981	14,262,689	0.56%	423.6	30.6
1980	14,162,686	0.85%	420.6	30.3
1979	14,050,169	0.75%	417.3	30.0
1978	13,953,920	0.63%	414.4	29.6
1977	13,868,604	0.60%	411.9	29.2
1976	13,786,637	0.59%	409.5	28.8
1975	13,680,036	0.97%	406.3	28.4
1974	13,559,670	0.80%	402.7	28.1
1973	13,453,744	0.77%	399.6	27.9
1972	13,342,772	0.89%	396.3	27.7
1971	13,208,354	1.14%	392.3	27.6
1970	13,052,078	1.24%	387.6	27.5
1969	12,890,636	1.25%	382.8	27.5
1968	12,740,846	1.09%	378.4	27.5
1967	12,607,834	1.01%	374.4	27.5
1966	12,464,288	1.28%	370.2	27.5
1965	12,301,125	1.35%	365.3	27.5
1964	12,131,884	1.42%	360.3	27.6
1963	11,969,156	1.28%	355.5	27.6
1962	11,807,551	1.44%	350.7	27.7
1961	11,639,365	1.43%	345.7	27.8
1960	11,486,911	1.20%	341.2	27.8
1959	11,348,103	1.23%	337.0	27.7
1958	11,187,358	1.63%	332.3	27.7
1957	11,026,878	1.26%	327.5	27.7
1956	10,889,769	1.24%	323.4	27.6
1955	10,751,230	1.32%	319.3	27.6
1954	10,615,735	1.22%	315.3	27.5
1953	10,493,530	1.10%	311.6	27.4
1952	10,382,295	1.03%	308.3	27.3
1951	10,264,537	1.25%	304.8	27.2
1950	10,113,758	1.72%	300.4	27.0

Year	Population	Growth	Density /km²	Median age
2027	18,538,017	0.46%	550.6	41.6
2028	18,619,097	0.42%	553.0	41.7
2029	18,692,513	0.37%	555.2	41.8
2030	18,757,217	0.32%	557.1	42.0
2031	18,813,964	0.28%	558.8	42.1
2032	18,863,761	0.25%	560.2	42.3
2033	18,908,217	0.22%	561.6	42.5
2034	18,946,182	0.18%	562.7	42.6
2035	18,977,352	0.15%	563.6	42.8
2036	19,004,539	0.13%	564.4	43.0
2037	19,026,568	0.10%	565.1	43.2
2038	19,043,264	0.08%	565.6	43.4
2039	19,055,408	0.05%	565.9	43.6
2040	19,062,983	0.03%	566.2	43.7
2041	19,066,147	0.00%	566.2	43.9
2042	19,064,875	-0.02%	566.2	44.1
2043	19,060,464	-0.03%	566.1	44.2
2044	19,052,666	-0.05%	565.8	44.4
2045	19,041,975	-0.06%	565.5	44.6
2046	19,030,540	-0.06%	565.2	44.8
2047	19,016,273	-0.09%	564.8	45.0
2048	18,998,732	-0.09%	564.2	45.2
2049	18,979,463	-0.11%	563.7	45.3
2050	18,958,475	-0.11%	563.1	45.5
2051	18,934,376	-0.14%	562.3	45.6
2052	18,909,117	-0.13%	561.6	45.8
2053	18,884,311	-0.14%	560.8	45.9
2054	18,858,186	-0.14%	560.1	46.0
2055	18,831,090	-0.15%	559.3	46.1
2056	18,801,740	-0.16%	558.4	46.1
2057	18,770,838	-0.17%	557.5	46.2
2058	18,740,761	-0.16%	556.6	46.3
2059	18,711,794	-0.15%	555.7	46.4
2060	18,683,350	-0.15%	554.9	46.4
2061	18,655,389	-0.15%	554.0	46.5
2062	18,629,643	-0.13%	553.3	46.5
2063	18,605,905	-0.13%	552.6	46.5
2064	18,582,980	-0.12%	551.9	46.6
2065	18,561,279	-0.12%	551.3	46.6
2066	18,541,467	-0.10%	550.7	46.7
2067	18,524,713	-0.08%	550.2	46.8
2068	18,509,437	-0.08%	549.7	46.8
2069	18,494,005	-0.08%	549.3	46.9
2070	18,478,454	-0.08%	548.8	47.0
2071	18,462,959	-0.08%	548.3	47.1
2072	18,446,838	-0.09%	547.9	47.2
2073	18,429,276	-0.10%	547.3	47.3
2074	18,411,117	-0.10%	546.8	47.3
2075	18,391,537	-0.12%	546.2	47.4
2076	18,368,106	-0.14%	545.5	47.5
2077	18,340,784	-0.16%	544.7	47.6
2078	18,311,972	-0.16%	543.9	47.7
2079	18,282,173	-0.17%	543.0	47.8
2080	18,251,350	-0.17%	542.0	47.8
2081	18,218,893	-0.19%	541.1	47.9
2082	18,184,063	-0.20%	540.1	48.0
2083	18,147,838	-0.20%	539.0	48.1
2084	18,111,023	-0.20%	537.9	48.1
2085	18,074,357	-0.20%	536.8	48.2
2086	18,036,255	-0.22%	535.7	48.2
2087	17,998,307	-0.20%	534.5	48.3
2088	17,960,227	-0.22%	533.4	48.3
2089	17,920,220	-0.22%	532.2	48.3
2090	17,878,905	-0.24%	531.0	48.3
2091	17,838,038	-0.22%	529.8	48.3
2092	17,798,797	-0.22%	528.6	48.3
2093	17,759,142	-0.23%	527.4	48.4
2094	17,719,668	-0.22%	526.3	48.4
2095	17,681,341	-0.21%	525.1	48.4
2096	17,644,610	-0.20%	524.0	48.3
2097	17,609,469	-0.20%	523.0	48.3
2098	17,575,440	-0.19%	522.0	48.3
2099	17,541,909	-0.19%	521.0	48.4
2100	17,507,518	-0.20%	520.0	48.4

States & provinces of Netherlands by population

#	State / province	Population	Share
1	Zuid-Holland	3,804,906	20.6%
2	Noord-Holland	2,952,622	16.0%
3	Noord-Brabant	2,626,210	14.2%
4	Gelderland	2,133,708	11.6%
5	Utrecht	1,387,643	7.5%
6	Overijssel	1,184,333	6.4%
7	Limburg	1,128,367	6.1%
8	Friesland	659,551	3.6%
9	Groningen	596,075	3.2%
10	Drenthe	502,051	2.7%
11	Flevoland	444,701	2.4%
12	Zeeland	391,124	2.1%
13	Bonaire	22,573	0.1%
14	St. Eustatius	3,242	0.0%
15	Saba	1,737	0.0%

State populations: GeoNames (latest official figures, reference dates vary by country).

Biggest cities in Netherlands

#	City	Region	Population
1	Rotterdam	South Holland	868,135
2	Amsterdam capital	North Holland	741,636
3	The Hague	South Holland	474,292
4	Utrecht	Utrecht	376,435
5	Groningen	Groningen	244,807
6	Eindhoven	North Brabant	235,691
7	Tilburg	North Brabant	221,947
8	Breda	North Brabant	184,126
9	Nijmegen	Gelderland	177,359
10	Almere Stad	Flevoland	176,432
11	Haarlem	North Holland	162,543
12	Arnhem	Gelderland	162,424
13	's-Hertogenbosch	North Brabant	160,783
14	Enschede	Overijssel	153,655
15	Zaanstad	North Holland	140,085

FAQ

What is the population of Netherlands in 2026?

The population of Netherlands is 18,448,775 in 2026, according to UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant).

What is the biggest city in Netherlands?

Rotterdam is the biggest city in Netherlands with 868,135 inhabitants; the capital is Amsterdam.

Is the population of Netherlands growing or shrinking?

The population of Netherlands is growing at 0.51% per year, and is projected to peak in 2041 at 19,066,147.

Neighboring countries

Sources

Country data: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
City and state data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-07-07.

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