Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Australia 186 times.
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 57 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Australia’s highest peak towers 1,366 m above the Netherlands’.
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Australia has 53% more people than the Netherlands.
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 150 times as densely populated as Australia.
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.0 cm taller than in Australia.
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 5.7 cm taller than in Australia.
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 3.6 years older than in Australia.
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Australia have 0.1 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 18% in Australia.
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Australia 3.6.
Australia: 3.6 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Australia and the Netherlands are practically level.
Australia: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 35% larger than the Netherlands’.
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 21% more per person than Australia.
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Australia than in the Netherlands (Gini 8.1 points higher).
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Australia and the Netherlands are practically level.
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and Australia are practically level.
Australia: 1.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the Netherlands’.
Australia: 91% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 2% more on health per person than the Netherlands.
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Netherlands is 10% more likely to die before turning one than in Australia.
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 5% more doctors per person than the Netherlands.
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 12% in Australia.
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.31 points higher than in Australia.
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 23% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 63% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 95 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Australia put in 172 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 0.2 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 96% in Australia.
Australia: 96% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and the Netherlands are practically level.
Australia: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 88% in Australia.
Australia: 88% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Australia 113.
Australia: 113 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 11 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 9% more passengers per resident than those from the Netherlands.
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Australia, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Australia: 17.4% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Netherlands.
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Australia.
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 78% more fine dust than in Australia.
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 24% more likely to be murdered in Australia than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Australia are 32% deadlier than in the Netherlands.
Australia: 4.5 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Australia is on average 11.3 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 2 times as much rain as Australia.
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than the Netherlands?
Australia is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Australia 186 times.
Which has more people, Australia or the Netherlands?
Australia has 53% more people than the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or the Netherlands?
People in Australia live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Australia or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.0 cm taller than in Australia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
