Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Mexico 47 times.
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 21 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 4,774 m above the Netherlands’.
Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 7.3 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 7.9 times as densely populated as Mexico.
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.5 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 12.5 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 157.9 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 Mexico.
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.5 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 1.89 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 8.5% in Mexico.
Mexico: 8.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mexico 0.2.
Mexico: 0.2 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Mexico and the Netherlands are practically level.
Mexico: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 38% larger than the Netherlands’.
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 3.4 times as much per person as Mexico.
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in the Netherlands (Gini 16.9 points higher).
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 2.7% in Mexico.
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.9%.
Mexico: 0.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Mexico’s.
Mexico: 54% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 9 times as much on health per person as Mexico.
Mexico: $761 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 6.7 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 3.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 50% more doctors per person than Mexico.
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 16% in Mexico.
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.25 points higher than in Mexico.
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 28% more alcohol than in Mexico.
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 9% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 162 kcal more food per person per day than Mexico.
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Mexico put in 190 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 3.3 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as Mexico (2019).
Mexico: 0.34 (2024) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 83% in Mexico.
Mexico: 83% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 80% in Mexico.
Mexico: 80% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116.
Mexico: 116 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 7.7 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 3.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Mexico.
Mexico: 0.6 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Mexico, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Mexico: 33.6% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 79% more CO₂ than someone in Mexico.
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mexico carries 91% more fine dust than in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 36 times as likely to be murdered in Mexico as in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Mexico are 3.5 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 10.2 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 13% more rain than Mexico.
Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mexico bigger than the Netherlands?
Mexico is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Mexico 47 times.
Which has more people, Mexico or the Netherlands?
Mexico has 7.3 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 6.7 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Mexico or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.5 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
