Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Denmark is 3% bigger than the Netherlands.
Denmark: 42,920 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Denmark’s coastline is 16 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Denmark: 7,314 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Netherlands’ highest peak towers 691 m above Denmark’s.
Denmark: 171 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 3 times as many people as Denmark.
Denmark: 6.01 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 3.6 times as densely populated as Denmark.
Denmark: 150 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 1.9 cm taller than in Denmark.
Denmark: 181.9 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 0.9 cm taller than in Denmark.
Denmark: 169.5 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The Netherlands and Denmark are practically level.
Denmark: 41.2 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Denmark have 0.0 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Denmark and the Netherlands are practically level.
Denmark: 21.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Denmark has produced 20.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Netherlands 11.1.
Denmark: 20 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Denmark and the Netherlands are practically level.
Denmark: 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 Denmark’s.
Denmark: $463 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 5% more per person than Denmark.
Denmark: Int$83,218 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Denmark than in the Netherlands (Gini 4.2 points higher).
Denmark: 29.9 (2023) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.5% in Denmark, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 5.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Denmark and the Netherlands are practically level.
Denmark: 2.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Denmark’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the Netherlands’.
Denmark: 92% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 1% more on health per person than Denmark.
Denmark: $6,745 (2024) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
Denmark and the Netherlands are practically level.
Denmark: 82.3 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Denmark is 3% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 3.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Denmark has 16% more doctors per person than the Netherlands.
Denmark: 4.5 per 1,000 (2021) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 15% in Denmark.
Denmark: 15.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 16% in Denmark.
Denmark: 15.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Denmark rate their lives 0.32 points higher than in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 7.54 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Denmark drink 11% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 9.5 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Denmark has 41% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Denmark: 101.3 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Denmark has 267 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
Denmark: 3,734 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Netherlands put in 59 more hours a year than in Denmark.
Denmark: 1,380 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Denmark went to school 0.36 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 13 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Denmark welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as the Netherlands (2019).
Denmark: 2.4 (2022) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Denmark are online, versus 97% in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Denmark and the Netherlands are practically level.
Denmark: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 89% in Denmark.
Denmark: 89% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Denmark 127.
Denmark: 127 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 13% longer than Denmark’s.
Denmark: 2,682 km (2020) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Denmark: no data · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 16% of Denmark, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Denmark: 15.8% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 33% more CO₂ than someone in Denmark.
Denmark: 4.7 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
91% of Denmark’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 91.2% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 7% more fine dust than in Denmark.
Denmark: 9 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 22% more likely to be murdered in Denmark than in the Netherlands.
Denmark: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Netherlands are 48% deadlier than in Denmark.
Denmark: 2.3 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 1.6 °C warmer than Denmark.
Denmark: 9.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 5% more rain than Denmark.
Denmark: 845 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Denmark bigger than the Netherlands?
Denmark is larger. Denmark is 3% bigger than the Netherlands.
Which has more people, Denmark or the Netherlands?
The Netherlands has 3 times as many people as Denmark (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Denmark or the Netherlands?
Denmark and the Netherlands are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Denmark and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Denmark or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 1.9 cm taller than in Denmark (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
