Netherlands vs Taiwan
Netherlands is 17% larger than Taiwan.
NetherlandsTaiwanNetherlands moved onto Taiwan · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.17×
Netherlands is 1.17× the area of Taiwan.
 Netherlands |  Taiwan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNetherlands: 1.17× the area | 42,201 km²#131 of 194 | 36,193 km²#134 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTaiwan: 1.29× the population | 18,087,633#72 of 194 · 2025 | 23,262,544#60 of 194 · 2026 |
| DensityTaiwan: 1.5× the density | 429 / km²#21 of 194 | 643 / km²#9 of 194 |
| Urban population | 96%#8 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 9.6 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | +5.8 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 86.6%#15 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.955#8 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $68,530#10 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $1.33T2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $87,320#10 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 3.9%#114 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 25.7#142 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 1.7% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 13.8% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 84.5% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 80.7% of GDP#12 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 2.2% of GDP#52 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 97%#17 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 11% of land#153 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 6.60 t a year#34 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 8.6 µg/m³#164 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 29.8% of land#29 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 16.7%#72 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 778 mm#108 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTaiwan: 0.47 higher | +0.53#68 of 193 · 2025 | +1.00#35 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNetherlands: 0.69 higher | +1.87#9 of 193 · 2025 | +1.18#26 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | — |
| Capital | Amsterdam | Taipei |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | New Taiwan dollar (TWD) |
| Official languages | Dutch | Taiwanese Hokkien, Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Seediq, Bunun, Yami, Rukai, Puyuma, Tsou, Saisiyat, Kavalan, Standard Taiwanese Mandarin, Kanakanavu, Sakizaya, Saaroa, Taiwanese Sign Language, Taiwanese Hakka, Matsu dialect, Truku, Kinmen dialect, Wuqiu dialect |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+8 |
| Calling code | +31 | +886 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Eastern Asia, Asia |
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. Netherlands sits at about 52° N and is stretched to 2.67× its true area; Taiwan at 24° N is stretched to 1.19×. That difference is why Netherlands looks so much bigger than it is next to Taiwan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Netherlands bigger than Taiwan?
- Yes. Netherlands is 17% larger than Taiwan. Netherlands covers 42,201 km² and Taiwan covers 36,193 km².
- How many times does Taiwan fit into Netherlands?
- About 1.2 times: Netherlands has 1.17× the area of Taiwan.
- Why do Netherlands and Taiwan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Netherlands is drawn about 2.67× its true area there and Taiwan about 1.19×. That is why Netherlands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Taiwan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Netherlands or Taiwan?
- Taiwan: 23,262,544 people against 18,087,633. Density: Netherlands 429 per km², Taiwan 643 per km².
- What kind of government do Netherlands and Taiwan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Netherlands: constitutional monarchy; Taiwan: semi-presidential republic.