Netherlands

Broadcast media

more than 90% of households are connected to cable or satellite TV systems that provide a wide range of domestic and foreign channels; public service broadcast system includes multiple broadcasters, 3 with a national reach and the remainder operating in regional and local markets; 2 major nationwide commercial television companies, each with 3 or more stations, and many commercial TV stations in regional and local markets; nearly 600 radio stations with a mix of public and private stations providing national or regional coverage (2008)

Internet country code

.nl

Internet users

total: 16.2 million | percent of population: 96.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 567, shortwave 1 (2009)

Telephone system

general assessment: highly developed and well maintained | domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; large cellular telephone system with 5 major operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology; one in five households now use Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) services | international: country code - 31; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 5 (3 Intelsat - 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 7.13 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 19.6 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Television broadcast stations

342 (2009)

Agriculture - products

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Budget

revenues: $413.8 billion | expenditures: $437.3 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.7% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Central bank discount rate

0.75% (31 December 2013) | 1.5% (31 December 2010) | note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area | country comparison to the world: 129

Commercial bank prime lending rate

2.3% (31 December 2014 est.) | 2.31% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Current account balance

$89.66 billion (2014 est.) | $87.12 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Debt - external

$2.347 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) | $2.434 trillion (31 December 2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

Distribution of family income - Gini index

25.1 (2013 est.) | 32.6 (1994 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Economy - overview

The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, plays an important role as a European transportation hub, with a persistently high trade surplus, stable industrial relations, and moderate unemployment. Industry focuses on food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for food-processing and underpins the country’s status as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter. The Netherlands is part of the Eurozone, and as such, its monetary policy is controlled by the European Central Bank. The Dutch financial sector is highly concentrated, with four commercial banks possessing over 90% of banking assets. The sector suffered as a result of the global financial crisis and required billions of dollars of government support, but the European Banking Authority completed stringent reviews in 2014 and deemed Dutch banks to be well-capitalized. To address the 2009 and 2010 economic downturns, the government sought to stimulate the domestic economy by accelerating infrastructure programs, offering corporate tax breaks for employers to retain workers, and expanding export credits. The stimulus programs and bank bailouts, however, resulted in a government budget deficit of 5.3% of GDP in 2010 that contrasted sharply with a surplus of 0.7% in 2008. The government of Prime Minister Mark RUTTE has since implemented significant austerity measures to improve public finances and has instituted broad structural reforms in key policy areas, including the labor market, the housing sector, the energy market, and the pension system. As a result, the government budget deficit at the end of 2014 dropped to 1.8% of GDP. Following a protracted recession during which unemployment doubled to 7.4% and household consumption contracted for nearly three consecutive years, the year 2014 saw fragile GDP growth of 0.8 percent and a rise in most economic indicators. Drivers of growth included increased exports and business investments, as well as newly invigorated household consumption.

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - | 0.7489 (2014 est.) | 0.7634 (2013 est.) | 0.78 (2012 est.) | 0.7185 (2011 est.) | 0.755 (2010 est.)

Exports

$552.8 billion (2014 est.) | $555.6 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 8

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners

Germany 25.3%, Belgium 12.9%, UK 8.9%, France 8.6%, Italy 4.3% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$866.4 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$798.6 billion (2014 est.) | $791.7 billion (2013 est.) | $797.4 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 28

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 44.7% | government consumption: 26.2% | investment in fixed capital: 18.8% | investment in inventories: 0.1% | exports of goods and services: 83.6% | imports of goods and services: -73.4% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 2.8% | industry: 22.3% | services: 74.8% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$47,400 (2014 est.) | $46,900 (2013 est.) | $47,300 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2012 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 22

GDP - real growth rate

0.8% (2014 est.) | -0.7% (2013 est.) | -1.6% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 192

Gross national saving

29% of GDP (2014 est.) | 28.5% of GDP (2013 est.) | 28.3% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.1% | highest 10%: 24.5% (2012 est.)

Imports

$488.8 billion (2014 est.) | $489 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 11

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners

Germany 14.5%, China 13%, Belgium 8.4%, US 6.5%, UK 6.1%, Russia 5.7%, Norway 4.1% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

-1.5% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 182

Industries

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.3% (2014 est.) | 2.6% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Labor force

8.214 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 1.8% | industry: 17% | services: 81.2% (2013 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$671.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $698.6 billion (31 December 2013) | $578.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 20

Population below poverty line

9.1% (2013 est.)

Public debt

69% of GDP (2014 est.) | 68.8% of GDP (2013 est.) | note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions | country comparison to the world: 42

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$71.95 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $46.25 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32

Stock of broad money

$1.119 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.158 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 17

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.016 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) | $982 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 10

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$646.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | $605.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15

Stock of domestic credit

$1.612 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.682 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 14

Stock of narrow money

$387 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $401.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders | country comparison to the world: 13

Taxes and other revenues

47% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 19

Unemployment rate

7.4% (2014 est.) | 7.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

239.6 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26

Crude oil - exports

35,500 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Crude oil - imports

999,700 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Crude oil - production

38,540 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Crude oil - proved reserves

302.6 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Electricity - consumption

116.8 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 28

Electricity - exports

15.02 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 14

Electricity - from fossil fuels

85.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

1.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30

Electricity - from other renewable sources

13.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Electricity - imports

33.25 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6

Electricity - installed generating capacity

29.92 million kW (2012) | country comparison to the world: 28

Electricity - production

98.57 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Natural gas - consumption

38.39 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Natural gas - exports

55.38 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6

Natural gas - imports

27.38 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Natural gas - production

66.32 billion cu m | note: the Netherlands has curbed gas production due to seismic activity in the province of Groningen, largest source of gas reserves (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 10

Natural gas - proved reserves

1.044 trillion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Refined petroleum products - consumption

983,300 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Refined petroleum products - exports

2.138 million bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Refined petroleum products - imports

2.131 million bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2

Refined petroleum products - production

1.221 million bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 19

Area

total: 41,543 sq km | land: 33,893 sq km | water: 7,650 sq km | country comparison to the world: 135

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Climate

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Coastline

451 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m | highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) | note: the highest point on continental Netherlands is Vaalserberg at 322 m

Environment - current issues

water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 10.61 cu km/yr (12%/88%/1%) | per capita: 636.7 cu m/yr (2008)

Geographic coordinates

52 30 N, 5 45 E

Geography - note

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)

Irrigated land

4,572 sq km (2007)

Land boundaries

total: 1,053 km | border countries (2): Belgium 478 km, Germany 575 km

Land use

agricultural land: 55.1% | arable land 29.8%; permanent crops 1.1%; permanent pasture 24.2% | forest: 10.8% | other: 34.1% (2011 est.)

Location

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

Terrain

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Total renewable water resources

91 cu km (2011)

Administrative divisions

12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslan (Friesland), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)

Capital

name: Amsterdam; note - The Hague is the seat of government | geographic coordinates: 52 21 N, 4 55 E | time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October | note: time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, not to the Caribbean components

Constitution

previous 1597, 1798; latest adopted 24 August 1815 (substantially revised in 1848); amended many times, last in 2010 (2013)

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands | conventional short form: Netherlands | local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden | local short form: Nederland

Dependent areas

Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: ambassador Timothy M. BROAS (since 19 March 2014) | embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague | mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715 | telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209 | FAX: [31] (70) 310-2207 | consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Henne SCHUWER (since 17 September 2015) | chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300, [1] 877-388-2443 | FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco | consulate(s): Boston

Executive branch

chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013) | head of government: Prime Minister Mark RUTTE (since 14 October 2010); Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk ASSCHER (since 5 November 2012); note - Mark RUTTE heads his second cabinet since 5 November 2012 | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch; note -there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides advice to the cabinet on legislative and administrative policy | elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; the colors were those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange, but because it tended to fade to red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (consists of 41 judges: the president, 6 vice-presidents, 31 justices or raadsheren, and 3 justices in exceptional service, referred to as buitengewone dienst); the court is divided into criminal, civil, tax, and ombuds chambers | judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the monarch from a list provided by the Second Chamber of the States General; justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement at age 70 | subordinate courts: courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts

Legal system

civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General

Legislative branch

description: bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial council members by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve up to 4-year terms) | elections: First Chamber - last held on May 2011 (next to be held in May 2015); Second Chamber - last held on 12 September 2012 (next to be held by March 2017) | election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VVD 16, PvdA 14, CDA 11, PVV 10, SP 8, D66 5, GL 5, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - VVD 26.6%, PvdA 24.8%, PVV, 10.1%, SP 9.7%, CDA 8.5%, D66 8.0%, CU 3.1%, GL 6.7%, other 2.5%; seats by party - VVD 41, PvdA 38, PVV 15, SP 15, CDA 13, D66 12, CU 5, GL 4, other 7

National anthem

name: "Het Wilhelmus" (The William) | lyrics/music: Philips VAN MARNIX van Sint Aldegonde (presumed)/unknown | note: adopted 1932, in use since the 17th century, making it the oldest national anthem in the world; also known as "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe" (William of Nassau), it is in the form of an acrostic, where the first letter of each stanza spells the name of the leader of the Dutch Revolt

National holiday

King's Day (the King's birthday of 27 April (1967); celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday)

National symbol(s)

lion, tulip; national color: orange

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Sybrand VAN HAERSMA BUMA] | Christian Union or CU [Arie SLOB] | Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD] | Green Left or GL [Bram VAN OJIK] | Labor Party or PvdA [Diederik SAMSOM] | Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS] | Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME] | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD [Mark RUTTE] | Reformed Political Party or SGP [Kees VAN DER STAAIJ] | Socialist Party or SP [Emile ROEMER] | plus a few minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV [Maurice LIMMEN] | Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers or VNO-NCW [Hans DE BOER] | Federation for Small and Medium-sized Businesses or MKB [Michael VAN STRAALAN] | Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV [Ton HEERTS] | Social Economic Council or SER [Mariette HAMER] | Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or CMHP [Reginald VISSER]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered German invasion and occupation in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 3,734,610 | females age 16-49: 3,687,940 (2014 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 3,479,509 | females age 16-49: 3,435,564 (2014 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 100,446 | female: 94,750 (2014 est.)

Military branches

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Marechaussee (Military Police) (2015)

Military expenditures

1.2% of GDP (2013) | 1.27% of GDP (2012) | 1.35% of GDP (2011) | 1.27% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 79

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2014)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.73% (male 1,450,957/female 1,384,576) | 15-24 years: 12.15% (male 1,049,802/female 1,009,250) | 25-54 years: 40.12% (male 3,412,016/female 3,388,119) | 55-64 years: 13.02% (male 1,099,594/female 1,107,401) | 65 years and over: 17.97% (male 1,373,111/female 1,673,078) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

10.83 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Contraceptive prevalence rate

69% | note: percent of women aged 18-45 (2008)

Death rate

8.66 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 53.3% | youth dependency ratio: 25.3% | elderly dependency ratio: 27.9% | potential support ratio: 3.6% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population | rural: 100% of population | total: 100% of population | urban: 0% of population | rural: 0% of population | total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

5.9% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 45

Ethnic groups

Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Caribbean 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Health expenditures

12.9% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 7

Hospital bed density

4.7 beds/1,000 population (2009)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.62 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 3.91 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 3.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Languages

Dutch (official) | note: Frisian is an official language in Fryslan province; Frisian, Low Saxon, and Limburgish are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; for the three special municipalities of the Caribbean Netherlands, English is widely used on the islands of Sint Eustatius and Saba, while Papiamento is the primary language on Bonaire

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81.23 years | male: 79.11 years | female: 83.47 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

Major urban areas - population

AMSTERDAM (capital) 1.091 million; Rotterdam 993,000; The Hague (seat of government) 650,000 (2015)

Median age

total: 42.3 years | male: 41.3 years | female: 43.2 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women) | adjective: Dutch

Net migration rate

1.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 52

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

21.9% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 103

Population

16,947,904 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Population growth rate

0.41% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 164

Religions

Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant 19% (includes Dutch Reformed 9%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, 7%, Calvinist 3%), other 11% (includes about 5% Muslim and lesser numbers of Hindu, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witness, and Orthodox), none 42% (2009 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 97.5% of population | rural: 99.9% of population | total: 97.7% of population | urban: 2.5% of population | rural: 0.1% of population | total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 18 years | male: 18 years | female: 18 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female | total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.78 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 9.5% | male: 8.9% | female: 10% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Urbanization

urban population: 90.5% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.05% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering; significant consumer of ecstasy

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 18,687 (Somalia); 14,396 (Iraq); 8,692 (Syria); 6,294 (Eritrea); 6,244 (Afghanistan) (2014) | stateless persons: 1,951 (2014)

Airports

29 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 120

Airports - with paved runways

total: 23 | over 3,047 m: 3 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 6 | under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 6 | 914 to 1,523 m: 4 | 2 (2013)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 744 | by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 514, carrier 15, chemical tanker 56, container 67, liquefied gas 21, passenger 17, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 19, specialized tanker 3 | foreign-owned: 196 (Australia 1, Bermuda 1, Denmark 27, Finland 13, France 2, Germany 86, Ireland 8, Italy 6, Japan 1, Norway 19, Sweden 12, UAE 4, US 16) | registered in other countries: 233 (Antigua and Barbuda 17, Bahamas 23, Belize 1, Canada 1, Curacao 43, Cyprus 23, Germany 1, Gibraltar 34, Italy 2, Liberia 31, Luxembourg 3, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 21, Panama 6, Paraguay 1, Philippines 17, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1, UK 1, unknown 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 15

Pipelines

condensate 81 km; gas 8,531 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): IJmuiden, Vlissingen | river port(s): Amsterdam (Nordsee Kanaal); Moerdijk (Hollands Diep River); Rotterdam (Rhine River); Terneuzen (Western Scheldt River) | container port(s) (TEUs): Rotterdam (11,876,920) | LNG terminal(s) (import): Rotterdam

Railways

total: 3,223 km | standard gauge: 3,223 km 1.435-m gauge (2,321 km electrified) (2014) | country comparison to the world: 56

Roadways

total: 138,641 km (includes 3,530 km of expressways) (2014) | country comparison to the world: 36

Waterways

6,237 km (navigable by ships up to 50 tons) (2012) | country comparison to the world: 21