Denmark vs Netherlands
Denmark and Netherlands are almost exactly the same size.
DenmarkNetherlandsDenmark moved onto Netherlands · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.02×
Denmark is 1.02× the area of Netherlands.
 Denmark |  Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 42,925 km²#130 of 194 | 42,201 km²#131 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNetherlands: 3.01× the population | 6,009,169#114 of 194 · 2025 | 18,087,633#72 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNetherlands: 3.06× the density | 140 / km²#63 of 194 | 429 / km²#21 of 194 |
| Urban populationNetherlands: 1.08× the urban share | 89%#24 of 192 · 2025 | 96%#8 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.47 per woman#141 of 192 · 2024 | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthDenmark: 0.02 points higher | +0.54%#124 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateDenmark: 1.03× the birth rate | 9.5 per 1,000#150 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 9.6 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Denmark: 0.7 points higher | 15.6%#155 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Denmark: 0.2 points higher | 21.1%#21 of 192 · 2025 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNetherlands: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | +3.7 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2025 | +5.8 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyDenmark: 0.3 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 3.5 per 1,000 births#158 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsDenmark: 1.16× the doctors per person | 4.50 per 1,000#17 of 178 · 2021 | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNetherlands: 1.1× the university enrolment | 79.0%#28 of 145 · 2024 | 86.6%#15 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexDenmark: 0.007 higher | 0.962#4 of 190 · 2023 | 0.955#8 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaDenmark: 1.13× the income per person | $77,190#8 of 185 · 2025 | $68,530#10 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNetherlands: 2.88× the economy | $462.53B2025 | $1.33T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Netherlands: 1.05× the output per person | $83,218#12 of 184 · 2025 | $87,320#10 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthDenmark: 1.1 points higher | +2.9%#104 of 187 · 2025 | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNetherlands: 1.3 points higher | +1.9%#122 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentDenmark: 1.41× the unemployment | 5.5%#78 of 178 · 2025 | 3.9%#114 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyDenmark: 4.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Denmark: 4.2 higher | 29.9#120 of 149 · 2023 | 25.7#142 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNetherlands: 0.1 points higher | 1.6% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 | 1.7% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryDenmark: 5.0 points higher | 18.8% of jobs#93 of 178 · 2025 | 13.8% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNetherlands: 4.9 points higher | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 | 84.5% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentDenmark: 3.4 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNetherlands: 10.6 points higher | 70.1% of GDP#25 of 168 · 2025 | 80.7% of GDP#12 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingDenmark: 1.48× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#23 of 155 · 2025 | 2.2% of GDP#52 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 100%#5 of 184 · 2024 | 97%#17 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 127 per 100#59 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaDenmark: 1.45× the forest share | 16% of land#132 of 192 · 2024 | 11% of land#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNetherlands: 1.54× the CO₂ per person | 4.28 t a year#55 of 185 · 2024 | 6.60 t a year#34 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyDenmark: 27.3 points higher | 39.5%#61 of 190 · 2021 | 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)Netherlands: 1.15× the air pollution | 7.5 µg/m³#170 of 191 · 2023 | 8.6 µg/m³#164 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNetherlands: 6.5 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landDenmark: 29.1 points higher | 58.9% of land#2 of 190 · 2024 | 29.8% of land#29 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressDenmark: 1.51× the water stress | 25.3%#60 of 176 · 2022 | 16.7%#72 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNetherlands: 1.11× the rain and snow | 703 mm#112 of 180 · 2022 | 778 mm#108 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityDenmark: 0.26 higher | +0.79#51 of 193 · 2025 | +0.53#68 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionDenmark: 0.39 higher | +2.26#1 of 193 · 2025 | +1.87#9 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateDenmark: 1.14× the homicide rate | 0.8 per 100,000#117 of 146 · 2023 | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Schengen Area, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Copenhagen | Amsterdam |
| Currency | Danish krone (DKK) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Danish | Dutch |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +45 | +31 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | 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. Denmark sits at about 56° N and is stretched to 3.19× its true area; Netherlands at 52° N is stretched to 2.67×. That difference is why Denmark looks so much bigger than it is next to Netherlands. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Denmark bigger than Netherlands?
- Yes. Denmark and Netherlands are almost exactly the same size. Denmark covers 42,925 km² and Netherlands covers 42,201 km².
- How many times does Netherlands fit into Denmark?
- About 1.0 times: Denmark has 1.02× the area of Netherlands.
- Why do Denmark and Netherlands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Denmark is drawn about 3.19× its true area there and Netherlands about 2.67×. That is why Denmark looks so much bigger than it really is next to Netherlands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Denmark or Netherlands?
- Netherlands: 18,087,633 people against 6,009,169. Density: Denmark 140 per km², Netherlands 429 per km².
- Which is richer, Denmark or Netherlands?
- By gross national income per person, Denmark: $77,190 against $68,530 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.13× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Denmark or Netherlands?
- In Denmark: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 82.0 — 0.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Denmark and Netherlands have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).