The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Faroe Islands’ coastline is 2.5 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Faroe Islands: 1,117 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Faroe Islands’ highest peak towers 20 m above the Netherlands’.
Faroe Islands: 882 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 329 times as many people as Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 54,900 (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 13 times as densely populated as Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 40 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 4.1 years older than in Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 37.3 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Faroe Islands have 0.5 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Faroe Islands: 1.91 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 Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 17.8% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Faroe Islands has 2 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Faroe Islands: 2 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 329 times the size of Faroe Islands’.
Faroe Islands: $4.05 billion (2024) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 6% more per person than Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: Int$82,089 (2024) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Faroe Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the Netherlands’.
Faroe Islands: 90% (2024) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Faroe Islands live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Faroe Islands: 83.1 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Faroe Islands are online, versus 97% in the Netherlands.
Faroe Islands: 98% (2017) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Faroe Islands and the Netherlands are practically level.
Faroe Islands: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 40% in Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 40% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Faroe Islands 106.
Faroe Islands: 106 (2022) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of the Netherlands, but only 0.1% of Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 0.1% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Faroe Islands emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Netherlands.
Faroe Islands: 13.1 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 46.9% (2023) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 4 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Faroe Islands: no data · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 3.8 °C warmer than Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands: 7.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Faroe Islands gets 20% more rain than the Netherlands.
Faroe Islands: 1,066 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Which has more people, Faroe Islands or the Netherlands?
The Netherlands has 329 times as many people as Faroe Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Faroe Islands or the Netherlands?
People in Faroe Islands live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Faroe Islands and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
