Netherlands vs United States
United States is 233 times larger than Netherlands. Netherlands would fit into United States about 233 times.
NetherlandsUnited StatesNetherlands moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.0×
Netherlands is 0.0× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 233× the size of Netherlands.
 Netherlands |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 233× the area | 42,201 km²#131 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 18.9× the population | 18,087,633#72 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNetherlands: 12.3× the density | 429 / km²#21 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationNetherlands: 1.2× the urban share | 96%#8 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateUnited States: 1.14× the births per woman | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthThe same | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateUnited States: 1.15× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNetherlands: 1.07× the death rate | 9.6 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15United States: 2.2 points higher | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Netherlands: 2.5 points higher | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNetherlands: 2.2 per 1,000 higher | +5.8 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNetherlands: 3.1 years longer | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityUnited States: 1.62× the infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNetherlands: 1.05× the doctors per person | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNetherlands: 1.09× the university enrolment | 86.6%#15 of 145 · 2023 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexNetherlands: 0.017 higher | 0.955#8 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 1.3× the income per person | $68,530#10 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 23.1× the economy | $1.33T2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 1.03× the output per person | $87,320#10 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 0.4 points higher | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNetherlands: 0.3 points higher | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentUnited States: 1.08× the unemployment | 3.9%#114 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyUnited States: 11× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United States: 16.1 higher | 25.7#142 of 149 · 2021 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureNetherlands: 0.2 points higher | 1.7% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 5.1 points higher | 13.8% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNetherlands: 4.9 points higher | 84.5% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentUnited States: 0.7 points higher | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNetherlands: 69.7 points higher | 80.7% of GDP#12 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 1.42× the military spending | 2.2% of GDP#52 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 97%#17 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNetherlands: 1.14× the mobile subscriptions | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 3.07× the forest share | 11% of land#153 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 2.06× the CO₂ per person | 6.60 t a year#34 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNetherlands: 1.3 points higher | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Netherlands: 1.23× the air pollution | 8.6 µg/m³#164 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNetherlands: 10.0 points higher | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNetherlands: 13.2 points higher | 29.8% of land#29 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 1.69× the water stress | 16.7%#72 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNetherlands: 1.09× the rain and snow | 778 mm#108 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNetherlands: 0.83 higher | +0.53#68 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNetherlands: 1.00 higher | +1.87#9 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited States: 8.29× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Amsterdam | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Dutch | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +31 | +1 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why Netherlands looks so much bigger than it is next to United States. 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 United States?
- No. Netherlands is 233 times smaller than United States. Netherlands covers 42,201 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Netherlands fit into United States?
- About 233 times: United States has 233× the area of Netherlands.
- Why do Netherlands and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why Netherlands looks so much bigger than it really is next to United States. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Netherlands or United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 18,087,633. Density: Netherlands 429 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Netherlands or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $68,530 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.3× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Netherlands or United States?
- In Netherlands: life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years, against 78.9 — 3.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Netherlands and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Netherlands: constitutional monarchy; United States: presidential republic.