2018 Edition

Background

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered German invasion and occupation in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.In February 2018, the Sint Eustatius island council (governing body) was dissolved and replaced by a government commissioner to restore the integrity of public administration. According to the Dutch Government, the intervention will be as "short as possible and as long as needed."

Area

land

33,893 sq km

total

41,543 sq km

water

7,650 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Climate

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Coastline

451 km

Elevation

elevation extremes

-7 m lowest point: Zuidplaspolder

mean elevation

30 m

note

862 highest point: Mount Scenery (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) note: the highest point on continental Netherlands is Vaalserberg at 322 m

Environment Current Issues

water and air pollution are significant environmental problems; pollution of the country's rivers from industrial and agricultural chemicals, including heavy metals, organic compounds, nitrates, and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities

Environment International Agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Geographic Coordinates

52 30 N, 5 45 E

Geography Note

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde); about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level

Irrigated Land

4,860 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

border countries (2)

Belgium 478 km, Germany 575 km

total

1,053 km

Land Use

arable land: 29.8% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 1.1% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 24.2% (2011 est.)

agricultural land

55.1% (2011 est.)

forest

10.8% (2011 est.)

other

34.1% (2011 est.)

Location

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Map References

Europe

Maritime Claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

floodingvolcanism: Mount Scenery (887 m), located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, last erupted in 1640;; Round Hill (601 m), a dormant volcano also known as The Quill, is located on the island of St. Eustatius in the Caribbean;; these islands are at the northern end of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends south to Grenada

Natural Resources

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

Population Distribution

an area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, though sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country

Terrain

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Age Structure

0-14 years

16.28% (male 1,428,837 /female 1,362,686)

15-24 years

12.03% (male 1,052,357 /female 1,011,710)

25-54 years

39.18% (male 3,371,698 /female 3,348,595)

55-64 years

13.41% (male 1,143,824 /female 1,155,751)

65 years and over

19.1% (male 1,487,278 /female 1,788,492) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

10.9 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

73% (2013)

note

percent of women aged 18-45

Death Rate

9 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio

27.4 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

3.6 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

53.1 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio

25.6 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Education Expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2014)

Ethnic Groups

Dutch 76.9%, EU 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.3%, Indonesian 2.1%, German 2.1%, Surinamese 2%, Polish 1%, other 4.8% (2018 est.)

Health Expenditures

10.9% of GDP (2014)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

0.2% (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids Deaths

<500 (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

23,000 (2017 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

4.7 beds/1,000 population (2009)

Infant Mortality Rate

female

3.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

total

3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Dutch (official)

note

Frisian is an official language in Fryslan province; Frisian, Low Saxon, Limburgish, Romani, and Yiddish have protected status under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; Dutch is the official language of the three special municipalities of the Caribbean Netherlands; English is a recognized regional language on Sint Eustatius and Saba; Papiamento is a recognized regional language on Bonaire

Life Expectancy At Birth

female

83.8 years (2018 est.)

male

79.3 years (2018 est.)

total population

81.5 years (2018 est.)

Major Urban Areas Population

1.132 million AMSTERDAM (capital), 1.008 million Rotterdam (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median Age

female

43.8 years (2018 est.)

male

41.6 years

total

42.7 years

Mother S Mean Age At First Birth

29.6 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Dutch

noun

Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)

Net Migration Rate

1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

20.4% (2016)

Physicians Density

3.48 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

Population

17,151,228 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.38% (2018 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 23.6%, Protestant 14.9% (includes Dutch Reformed 6.4%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands 5.6%, Calvinist 2.9%), Islam 5.1%, other 5.6% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 50.7% (2017 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

improved: urban: 97.5% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 99.9% of population (2015 est.)

total: 97.7% of population (2015 est.)

unimproved: urban: 2.5% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 0.1% of population (2015 est.)

total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

female

18 years (2012)

male

18 years (2012)

total

18 years (2012)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years

0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over

0.82 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.78 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

female

10.3% (2016 est.)

male

11.4% (2016 est.)

total

10.8% (2016 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.74% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

91.5% of total population (2018)

Administrative Divisions

12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslan (Friesland), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)

note

the Netherlands is one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three, Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, are all islands in the Caribbean; while all four parts are considered equal partners, in practice, most of the Kingdom's affairs are administered by the Netherlands, which makes up about 98% of the Kingdom's total land area and populationnote: three other Caribbean islands, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, are considered to be special municipalities of the Netherlands proper

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

52 21 N, 4 55 E

name

Amsterdam; note - The Hague is the seat of government

note

time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, for the constituent countries in the Caribbean, the time difference is UTC-4

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of the Netherlands

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed as an "Act of Parliament" by or on behalf of the king or by the Second Chamber of the States General; the Second Chamber is dissolved after its first reading of the "Act"; passage requires a second reading by both the First Chamber and newly elected Second Chamber, followed by at least two-thirds majority vote of both chambers, and ratification by the king; amended many times, last in 2010 (2016)

history

previous 1597, 1798; latest adopted 24 August 1815 (substantially revised in 1848) (2016)

Country Name

abbreviation

NL

conventional long form

Kingdom of the Netherlands

conventional short form

Netherlands

etymology

the country name literally means "the lowlands" and refers to the geographic features of the land being both flat and down river from higher areas (i.e., at the estuaries of the Scheldt, Meuse, and Rhine Rivers; only about half of the Netherlands is more than 1 meter above sea level)

local long form

Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

local short form

Nederland

Dependent Areas

Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

chief of mission

Ambassador Peter HOEKSTRA (since 10 January 2018)

consulate(s) general

Amsterdam

embassy

John Adams Park 1, 2244 BZ Wassenaar

FAX

[31] (70) 310-2207

mailing address

PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715

telephone

[31] (70) 310-2209

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

chancery

4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Hendrik Jan Jurriaan SCHUWER (since 17 September 2015)

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 362-3430

telephone

[1] (202) 244-5300, [1] 877-388-2443

Executive Branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

chief of state

King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013); Heir Apparent Princess Catharina-Amalia (daughter of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER, born 7 December 2003)

elections/appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy prime ministers are appointed by the monarch

head of government

Prime Minister Mark RUTTE (since 14 October 2010; Deputy Prime Ministers (since 26 October 2017) Hugo DE JONGE, Karin Kajsa OLLONGREN, and Carola SCHOUTEN (since 26 October 2017); note - Mark RUTTE heads his third cabinet put in place since 26 October 2017

Flag Description

three equal horizontal bands of red (bright vermilion; top), white, and blue (cobalt); similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; the colors were derived from those of WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish sovereignty in the latter half of the 16th century; originally the upper band was orange, but because its dye tended to turn red over time, the red shade was eventually made the permanent color; the banner is perhaps the oldest tricolor in continuous use

Government Type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Independence

23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)

International Law Organization Participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International Organization Participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial Branch

highest courts

Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (consists of 41 judges: the president, 6 vice presidents, 31 justices or raadsheren, and 3 justices in exceptional service, referred to as buitengewone dienst); the court is divided into criminal, civil, tax, and ombuds chambers

judge selection and term of office

justices appointed by the monarch from a list provided by the Second Chamber of the States General; justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts

courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts; note in December 2018, the Dutch Senate approved a bill to establish the Netherlands Commercial Court for international trade disputes with the Netherlands

Legal System

civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General

Legislative Branch

description

bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of:First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial council members by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve up to 4-year terms)

election results

First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VVD 13, CDA 12, D66 10, PVV 9, SP 9, PvdA 8, GL 4, CU 3, other 7; composition - men 49, women 26, percent of women 34.7% Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - VVD 21.3%, PVV 13.1%, CDA 12.4%, D66 12.2%, GL 9.1%, SP 9.1%, PvdA 5.7%, CU 3.4%, PvdD 3.2%, 50 Plus 3.1%, other 7.4%; seats by party - VVD 33, PVV 20, CDA 19, D66 19, GL 14, SP 14, PvdA 9, CU 5, PvdD 5, 50 Plus 4, other 8; composition - men 96, women 54, percent of women 36%; note - total States General percent of women 35.6%

elections

First Chamber - last held on 26 May 2015 (next to be held in May 2019) Second Chamber - last held on 15 March 2017 (next to be held 15 March 2021)

National Anthem

lyrics/music

Philips VAN MARNIX van Sint Aldegonde (presumed)/unknown

name

"Het Wilhelmus" (The William)

note

adopted 1932, in use since the 17th century, making it the oldest national anthem in the world; also known as "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe" (William of Nassau), it is in the form of an acrostic, where the first letter of each stanza spells the name of the leader of the Dutch Revolt

National Holiday

King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967); note - King's or Queen's Day are observed on the ruling monarch's birthday; currently celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday

National Symbol S

lion, tulip; national color: orange

Political Parties And Leaders

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Sybrand VAN HAERSMA BUMA]Christian Union or CU [Gert-Jan SEGERS]Democrats 66 or D66 [Rob JETTEN]Denk [Tunahan KUZU]50 Plus [Henk KROL]Forum for Democracy or FvD [Thierry BAUDET]Green Left or GL [Jesse KLAVER]Labor Party or PvdA [Lodewijk ASSCHER]Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD [Mark RUTTE]Reformed Political Party or SGP [Kees VAN DER STAAIJ]Socialist Party or SP [Emile ROEMER]plus a few minor parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture Products

vegetables, ornamentals, dairy, poultry and livestock products; propagation materials

Budget

expenditures

352.4 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

361.4 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

0% (31 December 2016)

0.05% (31 December 2015)

note

this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

1.33% (31 December 2017 est.)

1.47% (31 December 2016 est.)

Current Account Balance

$87.46 billion (2017 est.)

$62.92 billion (2016 est.)

Debt External

$4.063 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

$4.054 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

30.3 (2015 est.)

25.1 (2013 est.)

Economy Overview

The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, plays an important role as a European transportation hub, with a consistently high trade surplus, stable industrial relations, and low unemployment. Industry focuses on food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for food-processing and underpins the country’s status as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter.The Netherlands is part of the euro zone, and as such, its monetary policy is controlled by the European Central Bank. The Dutch financial sector is highly concentrated, with four commercial banks possessing over 80% of banking assets, and is four times the size of Dutch GDP.In 2008, during the financial crisis, the government budget deficit hit 5.3% of GDP. Following a protracted recession from 2009 to 2013, during which unemployment doubled to 7.4% and household consumption contracted for four consecutive years, economic growth began inching forward in 2014. Since 2010, Prime Minister Mark RUTTE’s government has implemented significant austerity measures to improve public finances and has instituted broad structural reforms in key policy areas, including the labor market, the housing sector, the energy market, and the pension system. In 2017, the government budget returned to a surplus of 0.7% of GDP, with economic growth of 3.2%, and GDP per capita finally surpassed pre-crisis levels. The fiscal policy announced by the new government in the 2018-2021 coalition plans for increases in government consumption and public investment, fueling domestic demand and household consumption and investment. The new government’s policy also plans to increase demand for workers in the public and private sector, forecasting a further decline in the unemployment rate, which hit 4.8% in 2017.

Exchange Rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.885 (2017 est.)

0.903 (2016 est.)

0.9214 (2015 est.)

0.885 (2014 est.)

0.7634 (2013 est.)

Exports

$839.7 million (2017 est.)

$495.4 billion (2016 est.)

Exports Commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and livestock, manufactured goods

Exports Partners

Germany 24.2%, Belgium 10.7%, UK 8.8%, France 8.8%, Italy 4.2% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services

83% (2017 est.)

government consumption

24.2% (2017 est.)

household consumption

44.3% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-72.3% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

20.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0.2% (2017 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture

1.6% (2017 est.)

industry

17.9% (2017 est.)

services

70.2% (2017 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$832.2 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$53,900 (2017 est.)

$52,800 (2016 est.)

$51,900 (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$924.4 billion (2017 est.)

$898.6 billion (2016 est.)

$879.4 billion (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

2.9% (2017 est.)

2.2% (2016 est.)

2% (2015 est.)

Gross National Saving

31.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

28.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

28.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%

24.9% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%

24.9% (2014 est.)

Imports

$453.8 billion (2017 est.)

$402.9 billion (2016 est.)

Imports Commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Imports Partners

China 16.4%, Germany 15.3%, Belgium 8.5%, US 6.9%, UK 5.1%, Russia 4.3% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

3.3% (2017 est.)

Industries

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

1.3% (2017 est.)

0.1% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

7.969 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture

1.2%

industry

17.2%

services

81.6% (2015 est.)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

$652.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$735.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$675 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line

8.8% (2015 est.)

Public Debt

56.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

61.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

note

data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

$38.44 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$38.21 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Stock Of Broad Money

$419 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$364.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

$6.579 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$5.623 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

$5.499 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$4.759 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Domestic Credit

$1.687 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.547 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Narrow Money

$419 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$364.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

note

see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Taxes And Other Revenues

43.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

4.9% (2017 est.)

6% (2016 est.)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

250.2 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

7,984 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

1.094 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Production

18,170 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

81.13 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

electrification - total population

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

108.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

19.34 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

75% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

23% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

24.26 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

34.17 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

109.3 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

43.38 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

51.25 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

51 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

45.33 billion cu m (2017 est.)

note

the Netherlands has curbed gas production due to seismic activity in the province of Groningen, largest source of gas reserves

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

801.4 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

954,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

2.406 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

2.148 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

1.282 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

42 (2017 est.)

total

7,210,800 (2017 est.)

Broadcast Media

more than 90% of households are connected to cable or satellite TV systems that provide a wide range of domestic and foreign channels; public service broadcast system includes multiple broadcasters, 3 with a national reach and the remainder operating in regional and local markets; 2 major nationwide commercial television companies, each with 3 or more stations, and many commercial TV stations in regional and local markets; nearly 600 radio stations with a mix of public and private stations providing national or regional coverage (2008)

Internet Country Code

.nl

Internet Users

percent of population

90.4% (July 2016 est.)

total

15,385,203 (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic

extensive fixed-line, fiber-optic network; large cellular telephone system with five major operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications technology; one in five households now use Voice over the Internet Protocol services (2011)

general assessment

highly developed and well maintained (2011)

international

country code - 31; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 5 (3 Intelsat - 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (2011)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

38 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

6.551 million (2017 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

120 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

20.532 million (2017 est.)

Airports

29 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2017)

2,438 to 3,047 m

11 (2017)

914 to 1,523 m

6 (2017)

over 3,047 m

3 (2017)

total

23 (2017)

under 914 m

2 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

914 to 1,523 m

4 (2013)

total

6 (2013)

under 914 m

2 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

PH (2016)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant Marine

by type

bulk carrier 11, container ship 42, general cargo 597, oil tanker 15, other 579 (2017)

total

1,244 (2017)

National Air Transport System

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

5,292,794,685 mt-km (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

34,870,204 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

244 (2015)

number of registered air carriers

8 (2015)

Pipelines

14000 km gas, 2500 km oil and refined products, 3000 km chemicals (2016)

Ports And Terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Rotterdam (12,385,168) (2016)

LNG terminal(s) (import)

Rotterdam

major seaport(s)

IJmuiden, Vlissingen

river port(s)

Amsterdam (Nordsee Kanaal); Moerdijk (Hollands Diep River); Rotterdam (Rhine River); Terneuzen (Western Scheldt River)

Railways

standard gauge

3,058 km 1.435-m gauge (2,314 km electrified) (2016)

total

3,058 km (2016)

Roadways

total

139,124 km (includes 3,654 km of expressways) (2016)

Waterways

6,237 km (navigable by ships up to 50 tons) (2012)

Military Branches

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Marechaussee (Military Police) (2015)

Military Expenditures

1.35% of GDP (2018)

1.16% of GDP (2017)

1.15% of GDP (2016)

1.2% of GDP (2015)

1.15% of GDP (2014)

Military Service Age And Obligation

17 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2014)

Disputes International

none

Illicit Drugs

major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy and a significant consumer of ecstasy; a large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

refugees (country of origin)

30,851 (Syria), 15,478 (Somalia), 14,713 (Eritrea), 11,369 (Iraq), 6,205 (Afghanistan) (2017)

stateless persons

1,951 (2017)