Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside France 15 times.
France: 606,410 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 11 times as long as the Netherlands’.
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 3,948 m above the Netherlands’.
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 3.8 times as many people as the Netherlands.
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 4.2 times as densely populated as France.
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.2 cm taller than in France.
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 5.9 cm taller than in France.
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 0.42 years older than in the Netherlands.
France: 41.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in France have 0.2 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
France: 22.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, France 9.3.
France: 9.3 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
France and the Netherlands are practically level.
France: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 2.5 times the size of the Netherlands’.
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 36% more per person than France.
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in France than in the Netherlands (Gini 6.1 points higher).
France: 31.8 (2023) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
France: 7.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
France and the Netherlands are practically level.
France: 2.1% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× France’s.
France: 77% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 28% more on health per person than France.
France: $5,327 (2024) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in France live 1 year longer than in the Netherlands.
France: 83 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
France and the Netherlands are nearly identical here.
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 18% more doctors per person than France.
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 13% in France.
France: 12.5% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
France: 33.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.64 points higher than in France.
France: 6.59 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 31% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 12% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 23 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in France put in 48 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 0.9 years longer than in France.
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 49% more tourists per resident than the Netherlands (2019).
France: 1.35 (2019) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 89% in France.
France: 89% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
France and the Netherlands are practically level.
France: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 79% in France.
France: 79% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117.
France: 117 (2023) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 9.1 times as long as the Netherlands’.
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 2.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from France.
France: 0.94 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of France, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
France: 32.5% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 59% more CO₂ than someone in France.
France: 4 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France.
France: 26.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 8% more fine dust than in France.
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in France as in the Netherlands.
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in France are 38% deadlier than in the Netherlands.
France: 4.7 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
France is on average 2.9 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
France gets 30% more rain than the Netherlands.
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is France bigger than the Netherlands?
France is larger. The Netherlands fits inside France 15 times.
Which has more people, France or the Netherlands?
France has 3.8 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or the Netherlands?
People in France live 1 year longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in France or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.2 cm taller than in France (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
