Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands is 88% bigger than Israel.
Israel: 22,070 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 65% longer than Israel’s.
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Israel’s highest peak towers 1,374 m above the Netherlands’.
Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 79% more people than Israel.
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 15% more densely populated than Israel.
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 7.8 cm taller than in Israel.
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 8.1 cm taller than in Israel.
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 12 years older than in Israel.
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.4 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Israel: 2.87 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 13% in Israel.
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Israel 5.9.
Israel: 5.9 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Israel: 2 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2.2 times the size of Israel’s.
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 46% more per person than Israel.
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in the Netherlands (Gini 12.6 points higher).
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
The Netherlands and Israel are practically level.
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Israel: 8.8% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the Netherlands’.
Israel: 101% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 74% more on health per person than Israel.
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Israel live 1.2 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Netherlands is 26% more likely to die before turning one than in Israel.
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 2% more doctors per person than Israel.
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Israel are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Israel smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
The Netherlands and Israel are practically level.
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 52% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 287 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Israel put in 451 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 0.86 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 9.4 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019).
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 88% in Israel.
Israel: 88% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and the Netherlands are practically level.
Israel: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 92% in Israel.
Israel: 92% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Israel: 177 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 77% longer than Israel’s.
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 3.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Israel.
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of the Netherlands, but only 6.5% of Israel.
Israel: 6.5% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 12% more CO₂ than someone in Israel.
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel.
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in the Netherlands.
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Israel are 24% deadlier than in the Netherlands.
Israel: 4.2 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 9.9 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 4.3 times as much rain as Israel.
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is larger. The Netherlands is 88% bigger than Israel.
Which has more people, Israel or the Netherlands?
The Netherlands has 79% more people than Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or the Netherlands?
People in Israel live 1.2 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Israel or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 7.8 cm taller than in Israel (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
