Bhutan vs Netherlands
Netherlands is 10% larger than Bhutan.
BhutanNetherlandsBhutan moved onto Netherlands · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.91×
Bhutan is 0.91× the area of Netherlands. Put the other way, Netherlands is 1.1× the size of Bhutan.
 Bhutan |  Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNetherlands: 1.1× the area | 38,394 km²#133 of 194 | 42,201 km²#131 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNetherlands: 22.7× the population | 796,682#162 of 194 · 2025 | 18,087,633#72 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNetherlands: 20.7× the density | 21 / km²#164 of 194 | 429 / km²#21 of 194 |
| Urban populationNetherlands: 2.21× the urban share | 43%#143 of 192 · 2025 | 96%#8 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.45 per woman#146 of 192 · 2024 | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBhutan: 0.13 points higher | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBhutan: 1.36× the birth rate | 12.5 per 1,000#108 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNetherlands: 1.57× the death rate | 6.1 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2024 | 9.6 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bhutan: 5.5 points higher | 20.4%#114 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Netherlands: 14.3 points higher | 6.6%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNetherlands: 5.2 per 1,000 higher | +0.6 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2025 | +5.8 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBhutan: 911× the refugees for its size | 9.11 per 1,000#20 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNetherlands: 8.7 years longer | 73.3 years#102 of 192 · 2024 | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBhutan: 4.03× the infant mortality | 13.7 per 1,000 births#91 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNetherlands: 7.05× the doctors per person | 0.55 per 1,000#124 of 178 · 2022 | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNetherlands: 6.66× the university enrolment | 13.0%#126 of 145 · 2024 | 86.6%#15 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNetherlands: 0.257 higher | 0.698#124 of 190 · 2023 | 0.955#8 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNetherlands: 15.9× the income per person | $4,310#123 of 185 · 2025 | $68,530#10 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNetherlands: 372× the economy | $3.58B2025 | $1.33T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Netherlands: 4.46× the output per person | $19,594#96 of 184 · 2025 | $87,320#10 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBhutan: 6.2 points higher | +8.0%#11 of 187 · 2025 | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBhutan: 0.4 points higher | +3.6%#71 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNetherlands: 1.22× the unemployment | 3.2%#133 of 178 · 2025 | 3.9%#114 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2022 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bhutan: 2.8 higher | 28.5#129 of 149 · 2022 | 25.7#142 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureBhutan: 40.7 points higher | 42.4% of jobs#36 of 178 · 2025 | 1.7% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBhutan: 2.1 points higher | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 13.8% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNetherlands: 42.7 points higher | 41.8% of jobs#142 of 178 · 2025 | 84.5% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNetherlands: 0.1 points higher | 0.2% of GDP#156 of 184 · 2025 | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNetherlands: 49.2 points higher | 31.5% of GDP#97 of 168 · 2024 | 80.7% of GDP#12 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 2.2% of GDP#52 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNetherlands: 1.06× the share online | 91%#47 of 184 · 2024 | 97%#17 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNetherlands: 1.29× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBhutan: 6.4× the forest share | 70% of land#15 of 192 · 2024 | 11% of land#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNetherlands: 3.28× the CO₂ per person | 2.01 t a year#103 of 185 · 2024 | 6.60 t a year#34 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBhutan: 70.3 points higher | 82.5%#12 of 190 · 2022 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bhutan: 3.5× the air pollution | 30.1 µg/m³#49 of 191 · 2023 | 8.6 µg/m³#164 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBhutan: 28.7 points higher | 51.6% of land#3 of 191 · 2025 | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNetherlands: 27.2 points higher | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 | 29.8% of land#29 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNetherlands: 11.9× the water stress | 1.4%#157 of 176 · 2022 | 16.7%#72 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBhutan: 2.83× the rain and snow | 2,200 mm#24 of 180 · 2022 | 778 mm#108 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBhutan: 0.86 higher | +1.39#7 of 193 · 2025 | +0.53#68 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNetherlands: 0.40 higher | +1.47#19 of 193 · 2025 | +1.87#9 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBhutan: 3.57× the homicide rate | 2.5 per 100,000#68 of 146 · 2020 | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Thimphu | Amsterdam |
| Currency | Ngultrum (BTN) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Dzongkha | Dutch |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+6 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +975 | +31 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Western Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bhutan sits at about 27° N and is stretched to 1.27× its true area; Netherlands at 52° N is stretched to 2.67×. That difference is why Netherlands looks so much bigger than it is next to Bhutan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bhutan bigger than Netherlands?
- No. Bhutan is 9% smaller than Netherlands. Bhutan covers 38,394 km² and Netherlands covers 42,201 km².
- How many times does Bhutan fit into Netherlands?
- About 1.1 times: Netherlands has 1.1× the area of Bhutan.
- Why do Bhutan and Netherlands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bhutan is drawn about 1.27× its true area there and Netherlands about 2.67×. That is why Netherlands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Bhutan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bhutan or Netherlands?
- Netherlands: 18,087,633 people against 796,682. Density: Bhutan 21 per km², Netherlands 429 per km².
- Which is richer, Bhutan or Netherlands?
- By gross national income per person, Netherlands: $68,530 against $4,310 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 15.9× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bhutan or Netherlands?
- In Netherlands: life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years, against 73.3 — 8.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bhutan and Netherlands have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).