Netherlands

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, the Netherlands spends just over US$12 billion, or 1.36 percent of its GDP on its military. This makes the Netherlands the 21st highest military spender in the world and represents 0.63 percent of total global military expenditure.

The Dutch military, called the Netherlands Armed Forces, consist of an army, and Navy and an air force. It is a member of the NATO alliance and has integrated parts of its Army with the German Army.

Military membership

Since its foundation, the Netherlands has fought 44 wars. It has partaken in the following wars:

Thirty Years' War 1618-1648
War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714
War of the Quadruple Alliance 1718-1710
Polish succession war 1733-1739
Kettle War 1784-1784
War of the First Coalition 1791-1797
Malayan–Portuguese war 1511-1641
Eighty Years' War 1568-1648
War of the Portuguese Succession 1580-1583
Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)
Dutch–Portuguese War 1601-1663
Uskok War 1615-1618
Anglo-Spanish War (1615–1630)
Relief of Genoa 1615-1615
Cambodian–Dutch War 1643-1644
Torstenson War 1643-1645

First Anglo-Dutch War 1651-1654
Second Northern War 1655-1660
Second Anglo-Dutch War 1665-1667
Second Swedish War on Bremen 1666-1666
War of Devolution 1667-1668
Franco-Dutch War 1671-1678
Third Anglo-Dutch War 1671-1674
Scanian War 1675-1679
Nine Years' War 1688-1697
Williamite War in Ireland 1689-1691
Great Northern War 1700-1711
American Revolutionary War 1775-1783
First Xhosa War
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War 1780-1784
Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780-1784
Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815

Battle of Suriname 1804-1804
Ashanti–Fante War 1806-1807
" Hundred Days war 1815-1815"
Dutch–Venezuelan crisis 1908-1908
World War II 1939-1945
Korean conflict 1945-present
Indonesian National Revolution 1945-1949
Korean War 1950-1953
Operation Trikora 1961-1961
Iraq War 2003-2011
Libyan Civil War 2011-2011
Syrian Civil War 2011-present

Military membership

International wars

Since its foundation, Afghanistan has fought ten wars with other states. The most recent international wars were with the Soviet Union (1979-1989) and with the United States (2001-present). Other notable wars were the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842), Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), Afghanistan–Pakistan border clash 1949-present and the Civil war in Afghanistan 1996-2001.

Below, the amount of international wars of each state is displayed.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

The Netherlands is a member of 16 international political organizations which makes it the 32nd most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Energy Community
Benelux
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Union for the Mediterranean
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
UNIDROIT

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

The Netherlands is the 10th most democratic state in the world. This is mainly attributed to free and fair elections which take place regularly as well as limited governmental corruption and a high governmental transparency. However, in recent decades, illegitimate actions by the Dutch government have been increasing with falsely accusing citizens of fraud as well as hiding critical communication between public officials.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of the Netherlands take place in the form of a parliamentary representative democracy combined with a monarchy. The King of the Netherlands is head of state while the Prime Minister is head of government. Parliamentary elections take place every four years as well as elections within its County and provinces.

International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Western European and Others Group
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
World Organization for Animal Health

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover New Zealand.

amous for its windmills, tulips as well as its legislation regarding cannabis, the Netherlands, which means lowlands, has had a long history between larger European powers. The area was first inhabited by different Germanic tribes which were partly conquered by the Roman empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the territory of the Netherlands was controlled by several larger states such as France, the United Kingdom Austria and finally Spain during the 16th century. After a struggle between the Dutch and the Spanish, the Dutch united most of their current provinces at the end of the 16th century. After 80 years of war against the Spanish, the Dutch gained recognition by the Spanish Empire. Since then, the Dutch expanded their influence over the globe and played a large role in the colonization of South Africa, the northern part of South America as well as Indonesia. It also briefly increased its territory when it was merged with Belgium at the start of the 19th century. It briefly lost its sovereignty during the second world war when it came under the rule of Nazi Germany but has seen a large economic growth up until the present.

Located in northwestern Europe, the Netherlands only consists of low-lying terrain. It borders Belgium to the south, the North Sea to the west and Germany to the east. Most of its terrain consists of grasslands with the exception of some forested areas located in its center and east.

With a total surface area of 42,059 square kilometers or 16,241 square miles, the Netherlands is the 131st largest state in the world being slightly larger than Switzerland and slightly smaller than Denmark.

It has a total water surface area of 7688 square kilometers or 2965 square miles which makes it the 58th state with the highest amount of surface water.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The Netherlands is one of the most waterous states in the world being home to some of the largest rivers of Europe, particularly the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The largest body of water is the IJsselmeer Lake which has been created by the Dutch after closing its inland sea from the North Sea and turning the seawater into fresh water. Most of its drinking water is derived from groundwater and is considered safe to drink.

Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.

The climate of the Netherlands is considered to be a maritime climate with a large influence from the Atlantic Ocean. It is known to have four seasons and has an average temperature of 9.3 degrees Celsius or 48.7 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes the Netherlands the 164th warmest state in the world.

Its average high temperature is 12.4 degrees Celsius or 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit and mainly occurs between June and September.

Its average low temperature is six degrees Celsius or 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit mainly occurs between December and February.

On average, the Netherlands receives 75.2 centimetres or 29.6 inches of rainfall per year which makes it the 126th state with the highest amount of rainfall. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread out throughout the Netherlands and is common throughout the year.

The capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, is a home to approximately 900,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Amsterdam is Brussels Belgium with a distance of 149 kilometers or 93 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Amsterdam is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,584 kilometers or 11,548 miles.

The economy of the Netherlands is considered to be a developed market economy. As a member of the European union, the Dutch economy is heavily integrated with other European states which has left it vulnerable for the economic development of other European states. Its agriculture sector is considered to be a highly developed. With only two percent of its population being employed in the agricultural sector, the Netherlands is the second largest exporter of food. However, petroleum, chemicals and electronics are the main export products which are mainly exported to Germany, which is solely responsible for more than 20 percent of all exports. Germany, together with China and Belgium are its main source of imports and combined represent nearly 40 percent of all imports.

The Netherlands is a member of 23 international economic organizations which makes it the fifth most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
Inter-American Development Bank
International Energy Agency
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization

World Trade Organization
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Group of Ten (economics)
International Energy Agency
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

Its GDP is the 18th highest in the world with 882,750 US$ million, which represents just over one percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the ninth highest in the world with US$21 million per square kilometer or US$54.4 million per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is US$51,091 which is the 15th highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is US$56,752 which is the 14th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 17.3 million people, the Netherlands is the 68th most populous state in the world. Its population can be divided up into the Dutch, which is also its official language, the Frisian people and smaller minorities which mainly originate from Suriname Morocco and Turkey.

It has the 22nd highest population density in the world with 410 people per square kilometer or 1061 people per square mile.

Emigration from the Netherlands is represented by just over 900,000 people, or 5.3 percent of its population. This makes it Netherlands the 71st state with the highest amount of emigration representing 0.37 percent of total global emigration. The main reasons for emigration are its high population density, or remigration.

Immigration to the Netherlands is represented by 12.3 percent of the population, or just over 2.1 million people. The main reason for emigration to the Netherlands are economic as well as seeking political refuge.

With the literacy rate of 98.6 percent, the Netherlands is the 43rd state with the highest literacy in the world. Its educational system is free and compulsory between the ages of four and 18.

The health care system of the Netherlands is universal but is partially funded by the government and partially to a compulsory healthcare insurance. The largest causes of death are noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease. A large part of these death is related to lifestyle choices. The average life expectancy is 82.8 years with women reaching 84.4 years and men reaching 81.2 years. This is the 17th highest life expectancy in the world.

The government of the Netherlands provides freedom of religion towards all religions. However, Christianity is slightly favoured with Christian holidays being national holidays.

Christianity is the largest religion in the Netherlands and is represented by 42.2 percent of the population. This makes the Netherlands the 125th most Christian state in the world. The largest denomination is Protestantism, followed by Catholicism which is mainly practiced in the southern part of the Netherlands.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is the second largest religion in the Netherlands and is represented by 5.7 percent of the population. This makes the Netherlands the 89th most Islamic state in the world. The majority of Muslims are of Turkish and Moroccan descent and an are mostly to the Sunni denomination.

Buddhism is represented by 0.13 percent of the population and is represented by several Buddhist organizations.

Hinduism is represented by 0.53 percent of the population. These Hindus mainly consists of migrants from Suriname that came to the Netherlands at the end of the 20th century due to fears of political instability.

Judaism is represented by 0.19 percent of the population and has had a long history in the Netherlands. After the Spanish Inquisition, many Jews fled to the Netherlands and the number of Jews increased until the second world war when the Jewish population was diminished.

Other religions are represented by 0.27 percent of the population. These are adherents of the Baha'i faith as well as traditional African religions such as voodoo.

Irreligion is represented by 28.2 percent of the population.