Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Colombia 27 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 7.1 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 4,868 m above the Netherlands’.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 3 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 11 times as densely populated as Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 11.9 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 12.4 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 9.8 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.2 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 1.63 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 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and the Netherlands are practically level.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2.9 times the size of Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 3.9 times as much per person as Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in the Netherlands (Gini 28.7 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 11 times as much on health per person as Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 4.1 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 53% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 1.18 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 76% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 14% more meat per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 341 kcal more food per person per day than Colombia.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 1,032 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 3.6 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 42% longer than Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Colombia carries 57% more fine dust than in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 36 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 4.8 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 13.2 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 3.6 times as much rain as the Netherlands.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than the Netherlands?
Colombia is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Colombia 27 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or the Netherlands?
Colombia has 3 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 4.1 years longer than in Colombia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Colombia or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 11.9 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
