Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Kenya 14 times.
Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Kenya’s coastline is 19% longer than the Netherlands’.
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 4,337 m above the Netherlands’.
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kenya has 3.2 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 5.4 times as densely populated as Kenya.
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.3 cm taller than in Kenya.
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 10.9 cm taller than in Kenya.
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 22 years older than in Kenya.
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 1.7 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 3.17 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 3.0% in Kenya.
Kenya: 3% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kenya 0.2.
Kenya: 0.2 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Kenya: 2 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 9.8 times the size of Kenya’s.
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 12 times as much per person as Kenya.
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in the Netherlands (Gini 12.8 points higher).
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Kenya 1.0%.
Kenya: 1% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.5× Kenya’s.
Kenya: 34% (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 Kenya.
Kenya: $85 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 18 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 13 times as many doctors per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 10% in Kenya.
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya.
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.55 points higher than in Kenya.
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Kenya.
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 7 times as much meat per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 1,321 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kenya put in 596 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 4 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 33 times as many tourists per resident as Kenya (2019).
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
Kenya: 35% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya.
Kenya: 77% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya.
Kenya: 32% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126.
Kenya: 126 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 26% longer than the Netherlands’.
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 26 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya.
Kenya: 0.09 (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 6.2% of Kenya.
Kenya: 6.2% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 17 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya.
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 90% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.1 times as likely to be murdered in Kenya as in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 8.3 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 14.5 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 27% more rain than Kenya.
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than the Netherlands?
Kenya is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Kenya 14 times.
Which has more people, Kenya or the Netherlands?
Kenya has 3.2 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 18 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Kenya or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.3 cm taller than in Kenya (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
