Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside India 79 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 16 times as long as the Netherlands’.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 7,724 m above the Netherlands’.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 81 times as many people as the Netherlands.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 9% more densely populated than India.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 17.3 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 15.2 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 13 years older than in India.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.5 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
India: 1.96 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 7.4% in India.
India: 7.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, India 0.1.
India: 0.1 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
India: 3 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 3 times the size of the Netherlands’.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 7.4 times as much per person as India.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Netherlands than in India (Gini 0.2 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
India and the Netherlands are practically level.
India: 4.2% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India and the Netherlands are practically level.
India: 2.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 3.7× India’s.
India: 23% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 81 times as much on health per person as India.
India: $85 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 9.7 years longer than in India.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 6.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 5.4 times as many doctors per person as India.
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 8.0% in India.
India: 8% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
India: 22.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.69 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 63% more alcohol than in India.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 8.8 times as much meat per person as India.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 798 kcal more food per person per day than India.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 944 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 5.8 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 134 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
India: 0.01 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 70% in India.
India: 70% (2025) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and India are practically level.
India: 99.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
India: 79 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 22 times as long as the Netherlands’.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 19 times as many passengers per resident as those from India.
India: 0.12 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of India, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
India: 24.5% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 2.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in India.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India.
India: 24.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 4.6 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in India as in the Netherlands.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 4.3 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
India: 14.6 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 13.3 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 43% more rain than the Netherlands.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than the Netherlands?
India is larger. The Netherlands fits inside India 79 times.
Which has more people, India or the Netherlands?
India has 81 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 9.7 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in India or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 17.3 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
