🇳🇱 Netherlands
Netherlands at a glance, from the World Bank's development indicators and the IMF World Economic Outlook (dashed lines are IMF forecasts).
People
Population
inhabitants · net migration on the rightLife expectancy
years at birth, next to the Netherlands and the worldFertility and ageing
births per woman · share aged 65+ on the rightEconomy
GDP per capita
PPP, constant 2021 international $ · vs the Netherlands and the worldReal GDP growth
% a year · IMF WEO incl. forecastsInflation
% consumer prices, a yearUnemployment
% of the labour forceTrade
exports and imports of goods and services, % of GDPTourism
international arrivals · receipts (US$) on the rightGovernment and energy
Government finances
% of GDP · IMF (general government)Energy
net energy imports (% of use) · renewable share of electricityHistory
Population since 1500
inhabitants · HYDE, Gapminder and UN, via Our World in DataGDP per person, long run
Maddison Project Database 2023 · World Bank from 1990 (different price base)Life expectancy, long run
years at birth · Riley, Zijdeman et al., HMD and UN WPP via Our World in DataUrbanisation
% of people living in urban areas · HYDE long run, UN since 1950Timeline
16th century
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23 May 1568. The Battle of Heiligerlee opens the Eighty Years' War of the Low Countries against Habsburg Spain. Wikipedia
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The northern provinces sign a defensive union that becomes the basis of the Dutch Republic. Wikipedia
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26 July 1581. The States General renounce Philip II as their sovereign, a de facto declaration of independence. Wikipedia
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About a century in which the Republic leads Europe in trade, science, shipping and painting (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals). Wikipedia
17th century
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20 March 1602. The VOC is chartered as a trading monopoly for Asia; it issues the first widely traded shares on the Amsterdam exchange. Wikipedia
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The WIC gets the monopoly on Dutch trade with the Americas and West Africa, including the Atlantic slave trade. Wikipedia
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Prices of tulip bulb contracts crash in February 1637, often cited as the first recorded speculative bubble. Wikipedia
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30 January 1648. Spain recognises the independence of the Dutch Republic, ending the Eighty Years' War. Wikipedia
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France, England, Münster and Cologne attack the Republic; Johan and Cornelis de Witt are lynched in The Hague. Wikipedia
18th century
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French-backed patriots end the old Republic; the stadtholder flees to Britain. Wikipedia
19th century
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After Napoleon, the north and the southern Netherlands form one kingdom under William I. Wikipedia
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The southern provinces break away; the Netherlands recognises Belgium in the Treaty of London (1839). Wikipedia
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Thorbecke's revision introduces ministerial responsibility and direct elections for the House of Representatives. Wikipedia
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1 July 1863. Slavery ends on 1 July 1863 (Keti Koti), followed by ten years of compulsory state-supervised labour in Suriname. Wikipedia
20th century
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Universal male suffrage, proportional representation and equal funding for religious schools; women get the vote in 1919. Wikipedia (nl)
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28 May 1932. The 32 km dam turns the Zuiderzee into the IJsselmeer, part of the Zuiderzee Works. Wikipedia
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10 May 1940. Germany invades on 10 May 1940 and bombs Rotterdam on 14 May; the country is occupied until 1945. Wikipedia
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25 February 1941. A general strike in Amsterdam against the persecution of Jews, the only mass protest of its kind in occupied Europe. Wikipedia
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About 102,000 of the 140,000 Jews in the Netherlands are murdered, among them Anne Frank. Wikipedia
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A famine in the occupied west kills about 20,000 people in the winter of 1944–45. Wikipedia
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5 May 1945. German forces in the Netherlands capitulate; 5 May is Liberation Day. Wikipedia
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27 December 1949. After four years of war the Netherlands transfers sovereignty to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia. Wikipedia
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4 April 1949. The Netherlands signs the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, ending its policy of neutrality. Wikipedia
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18 April 1951. The Netherlands is one of six founders of the ECSC (Treaty of Paris), the first step to the EU. Wikipedia
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1 February 1953. The storm flood of 1 February kills 1,836 people in the Netherlands and leads to the Delta Works. Wikipedia
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25 March 1957. The six ECSC members found the European Economic Community and Euratom. Wikipedia
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One of the largest natural gas fields in the world is found at Slochteren; production ends in 2024. Wikipedia
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25 November 1975. Suriname becomes an independent republic on 25 November 1975. Wikipedia
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7 February 1992. Signed in Maastricht, the treaty creates the European Union and the path to the euro. Wikipedia
21st century
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1 April 2001. On 1 April 2001 the Netherlands becomes the first country to open civil marriage to same-sex couples. Wikipedia
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1 January 2002. Euro notes and coins come into circulation on 1 January 2002. Wikipedia
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6 May 2002. The populist politician is murdered nine days before the general election, the first political assassination in modern Dutch history. Wikipedia
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10 October 2010. Curaçao and Sint Maarten become countries within the Kingdom; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba become special municipalities. Wikipedia
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30 April 2013. Queen Beatrix abdicates; Willem-Alexander is the first Dutch king since 1890. Wikipedia
34 key events, curated and summarised from the linked articles (mostly Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Tap a theme to filter.
Politics
Head of government: Prime Minister of the Netherlands
52 holders on Wikidata, newest first| Rob Jetten | Democrats 66 | 2026–now |
| Dick Schoof | independent politician | 2024–2026 |
| Mark Rutte | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | 2010–2024 |
| Jan Peter Balkenende | Christian Democratic Appeal | 2002–2010 |
| Wim Kok | Labour Party | 1994–2002 |
| Ruud Lubbers | Christian Democratic Appeal / Catholic People's Party | 1982–1994 |
| Dries van Agt | Christian Democratic Appeal / Catholic People's Party | 1977–1982 |
| Joop den Uyl | Labour Party | 1973–1977 |
| Barend Biesheuvel | Christian Democratic Appeal / Anti-Revolutionary Party | 1971–1973 |
| Piet de Jong | Christian Democratic Appeal | 1967–1971 |
Head of state: King of the Netherlands
7 holders on Wikidata, newest first| William Alexander of the Netherlands | 2013–now | |
| Beatrix of the Netherlands | 1980–2013 | |
| Juliana of the Netherlands | 1948–1980 | |
| Wilhelmina of the Netherlands | 1890–1948 | |
| William III of the Netherlands | 1849–1890 | |
| William II of the Netherlands | 1840–1849 | |
| William I of the Netherlands | 1815–1840 |
Culture
Religion since 1849
% of adults · censuses to 1971, surveys after · dashed: 15+, from 2010Religious composition, 2010 and 2020
% of the whole population| Group | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Religiously unaffiliated | 45.5 | 54.1 |
| Christians | 42.7 | 35.1 |
| Muslims | 5.0 | 5.5 |
| Other religions | 5.8 | 4.2 |
| Hindus | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Buddhists | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Jews | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Public holidays
next 13- 25 Dec 2026 Christmas Day· Eerste Kerstdag
- 26 Dec 2026 St. Stephen's Day· Tweede Kerstdag
- 1 Jan 2027 New Year's Day· Nieuwjaarsdag
- 26 Mar 2027 Good Friday· Goede Vrijdag
- 28 Mar 2027 Easter Sunday· Eerste Paasdag
- 29 Mar 2027 Easter Monday· Tweede Paasdag
- 27 Apr 2027 King's Day· Koningsdag
- 5 May 2027 Liberation Day· Bevrijdingsdag
- 6 May 2027 Ascension Day· Hemelvaartsdag
- 16 May 2027 Pentecost· Eerste Pinksterdag
- 17 May 2027 Whit Monday· Tweede Pinksterdag
- 25 Dec 2027 Christmas Day· Eerste Kerstdag
- 26 Dec 2027 St. Stephen's Day· Tweede Kerstdag
UNESCO World Heritage
12 sites · year inscribed- 1995 Schokland and Surroundings · cultural
- 1996 Dutch Water Defence Lines · cultural
- 1997 Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout · cultural
- 1998 Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station) · cultural
- 1999 Droogmakerij de Beemster (Beemster Polder) · cultural
- 2000 Rietveld Schröderhuis (Rietveld Schröder House) · cultural
- 2009 Wadden Sea · natural
- 2010 Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht · cultural
- 2014 Van Nellefabriek · cultural
- 2021 Colonies of Benevolence · cultural
- 2021 Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes · cultural
- 2023 Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker · cultural
Well-known people
ranked by the number of Wikipedia language editions- 266 Vincent van Gogh 1853–1890 · Dutch painter (1853–1890)
- 207 Rembrandt 1606–1669 · Dutch painter and printmaker (1606–1669)
- 177 Benedictus de Spinoza 1632–1677 · Dutch philosopher (1632–1677)
- 128 Johan Cruyff 1947–2016 · Dutch footballer and manager (1947–2016)
- 121 Christiaan Huygens 1629–1695 · Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer (1629–1695)
- 117 Hendrik Lorentz 1853–1928 · Dutch physicist (1853–1928)
- 116 Johannes Vermeer 1632–1675 · Dutch painter (1632–1675)
- 113 Mark Rutte 1967 · Secretary General of NATO since 2024 and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2010–2024)
- 109 William Alexander of the Netherlands 1967 · King of the Netherlands (born 1967)
- 109 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 1632–1723 · Dutch scientist known as "the Father of Microbiology", and one of the first microscopists (1632–1723)
- 105 Max Verstappen 1997 · Dutch and Belgian racing driver
- 103 Abel Tasman 1603–1659 · Dutch seafarer, explorer and merchant (1603–1659)
- 102 Pieter Zeeman 1865–1943 · Dutch physicist (1865–1943)
- 101 Beatrix of the Netherlands 1938 · Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013 (born 1938)
- 101 Johannes Diderik van der Waals 1837–1923 · Dutch physicist (1837–1923)
- 99 Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff 1852–1911 · Dutch physical and organic chemist (1852-1911)
- 98 Robin van Persie 1983 · Dutch association football player and manager
- 97 Isabelle de Charrière 1740–1805 · Dutch French-language writer and composer (1740-1805)
- 94 Hugo Grotius 1583–1645 · Dutch jurist and scholar (1583-1645)
- 93 Arjen Robben 1984 · Dutch association football player (born 1984)
Food
curated, with sources- Cheese, herring and stamppot Dutch food is plain and dairy-heavy: Gouda and Edam cheese, raw herring, stamppot, poffertjes and stroopwafels. Wikipedia
Cultural exports
curated, with sources- Golden Age painting Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen made 17th-century Dutch painting a lasting cultural export. Wikipedia
- Van Gogh Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is among the most famous painters in history. Wikipedia
- De Stijl and Dutch design Mondrian and Rietveld's De Stijl (1917) shaped modernism; Dutch Design (Droog, 1993) continued the line. Wikipedia
- Electronic dance music Dutch DJs such as Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Martin Garrix lead global dance music; ADE in Amsterdam is a major industry event. Wikipedia
- Total Football Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff's Total Football (1970s) changed how the game is played. Wikipedia