Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Brazil 205 times.
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Brazil’s coastline is 17 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Brazil: 7,491 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Brazil’s highest peak towers 2,132 m above the Netherlands’.
Brazil: 2,994 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Brazil has 12 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Brazil: 213 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 21 times as densely populated as Brazil.
Brazil: 25 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 8.1 cm taller than in Brazil.
Brazil: 175.7 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 8.0 cm taller than in Brazil.
Brazil: 162.4 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 7.5 years older than in Brazil.
Brazil: 33.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Brazil have 0.2 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 1.61 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 11% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Brazil 0.0.
Brazil: 0 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Brazil and the Netherlands are practically level.
Brazil: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Brazil’s economy is 71% larger than the Netherlands’.
Brazil: $2.28 trillion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 3.7 times as much per person as Brazil.
Brazil: Int$23,433 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Brazil than in the Netherlands (Gini 24.6 points higher).
Brazil: 50.3 (2024) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Brazil, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 6% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Brazil 1.0%.
Brazil: 1% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Brazil’s.
Brazil: 46% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 6.8 times as much on health per person as Brazil.
Brazil: $1,010 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 5.9 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 76 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Brazil is 3.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 64% more doctors per person than Brazil.
Brazil: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Brazil are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 30.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 12% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.59 points higher than in Brazil.
Brazil: 6.63 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Brazil drink 21% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 10.4 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brazil has 46% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Brazil: 104.6 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 44 kcal more food per person per day than Brazil.
Brazil: 3,423 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Brazil put in 555 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 1,994 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 4.2 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 8.4 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 28 times as many tourists per resident as Brazil (2019).
Brazil: 0.03 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 84% in Brazil.
Brazil: 84% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Brazil are practically level.
Brazil: 99.8% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 88% in Brazil.
Brazil: 88% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil 102.
Brazil: 102 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Brazil’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Brazil: 29,850 km (2014) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 5.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Brazil.
Brazil: 0.45 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 59% of Brazil, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Brazil: 59% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 2.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Brazil.
Brazil: 2.3 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Brazil’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 86.6% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Brazil carries 59% more fine dust than in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 28 times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 19.3 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Brazil are 4.6 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Brazil: 15.7 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brazil is on average 14.1 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Brazil: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Brazil gets 87% more rain than the Netherlands.
Brazil: 1,661 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Brazil bigger than the Netherlands?
Brazil is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Brazil 205 times.
Which has more people, Brazil or the Netherlands?
Brazil has 12 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brazil or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 5.9 years longer than in Brazil. Life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years in Brazil and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Brazil or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 8.1 cm taller than in Brazil (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
