Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Canada 376 times
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2024) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 448 times as long as the Netherlands’
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 5,097 m above the Netherlands’
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of the Netherlands, versus 6.5% of Canada
Canada: 6.5% (2024) · Netherlands: 53.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Canada has 2.3 times as many people as the Netherlands
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 113 times as densely populated as Canada
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.0 cm taller than in Canada
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 5.6 cm taller than in Canada
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 1.1 years older than in Canada
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Netherlands have 0.2 more children on average than in Canada
Canada: 1.25 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 20% in Canada
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands hosts 57% more refugees per resident than Canada
Canada: 10 per 1,000 (2025) · Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Canada 5.5
Canada: 5.5 (2026) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, the Netherlands 1
Canada: 2 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 74% larger than the Netherlands’
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 31% more per person than Canada
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Canada than in the Netherlands (Gini 5.8 points higher)
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Canada and the Netherlands are practically level
Canada: 0.3% (2022) · Netherlands: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Canada 1.6%
Canada: 1.6% (2025) · Netherlands: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Netherlands’ central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Canada’s 14%
Canada: 13.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 25.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1× Canada’s
Canada: 83% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 7% more on health per person than Canada
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
Canada and the Netherlands are practically level
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 37% more doctors per person than Canada
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Canada has 5% more hospital beds per person than the Netherlands
Canada: 2.5 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Netherlands is 14% higher than in Canada
Canada: 8.4 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 11% in Canada
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.48 points higher than in Canada
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 8% more alcohol than in the Netherlands
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 32% more meat per person than the Netherlands
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 123 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Canada put in 292 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 1.2 years longer than in the Netherlands
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 88% more tourists per resident than Canada (2019)
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Canada has 9 more World Heritage sites than the Netherlands (22 against 13)
Canada: 22 (2026) · Netherlands: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Canada has won 597 Olympic medals, the Netherlands 524
Canada: 597 (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 94% in Canada
Canada: 94% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Canada is 10% faster than in the Netherlands
Canada: 357 Mbps (2026) · Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and the Netherlands are practically level
Canada: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 83% in Canada
Canada: 83% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94
Canada: 94 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 16 times as long as the Netherlands’
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 8% more passengers per resident than those from Canada
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 42% of Canada, but only 11% of the Netherlands
Canada: 42% (2024) · Netherlands: 11% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Netherlands
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 37% more fine dust than in Canada
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in the Netherlands
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Canada are 49% deadlier than in the Netherlands
Canada: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 14.2 °C warmer than Canada
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 30% more rain than Canada
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than the Netherlands?
Canada is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Canada 376 times.
Which has more people, Canada or the Netherlands?
Canada has 2.3 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or the Netherlands?
Canada and the Netherlands are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Canada or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.0 cm taller than in Canada (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
