Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Romania 5.7 times
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024) · Romania: 238,397 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 2 times as long as Romania’s
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 1,682 m above the Netherlands’
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Romania, versus 53% of the Netherlands
Netherlands: 53.4% (2024) · Romania: 55.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 5% more people than the Netherlands
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 6.5 times as densely populated as Romania
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 6.0 cm taller than in Romania
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 5.6 cm taller than in Romania
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 1.2 years older than in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
The Netherlands and Romania are practically level
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 20% in Romania
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands hosts 44% more refugees per resident than Romania
Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025) · Romania: 10.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Romania 2.1
Netherlands: 11.1 (2026) · Romania: 2.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Romania are practically level
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 3.1 times the size of Romania’s
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 72% more per person than Romania
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Romania than in the Netherlands (Gini 4.1 points higher)
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.7% of people in Romania live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 0.1% (2021) · Romania: 0.7% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania and the Netherlands are practically level
Netherlands: 2.2% (2025) · Romania: 2.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Netherlands’ central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Romania’s 16%
Netherlands: 25.3% (2024) · Romania: 16.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Romania’s
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 6.5 times as much on health per person as Romania
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 5.5 years longer than in Romania
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 76% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 7% more doctors per person than Romania
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Romania has 3 times as many hospital beds per person as the Netherlands
Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 7.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Netherlands is 17% higher than in Romania
Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 8.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.59 points higher than in Romania
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 1% more meat per person than the Netherlands
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 182 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 387 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 1.1 years longer than in Romania
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 29% more tourists per resident than Romania (2019)
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Netherlands has 2 more World Heritage sites than Romania (13 against 11)
Netherlands: 13 (2026) · Romania: 11 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Netherlands has won 524 Olympic medals, Romania 318
Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition) · Romania: 318 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 91% in Romania
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Netherlands is 3% faster than in Romania
Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026) · Romania: 316 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Romania are practically level
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 52% in Romania
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 3.5 times as long as the Netherlands’
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 11% of the Netherlands
Netherlands: 11% (2024) · Romania: 30.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 75% more CO₂ than someone in Romania
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Romania carries 49% more fine dust than in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 62% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 2.7 times as deadly as in the Netherlands
Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 13.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Romania
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 17% more rain than Romania
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Romania?
Romania is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Romania 5.7 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Romania?
Romania has 5% more people than the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Romania?
People in the Netherlands live 5.5 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Romania?
Men in the Netherlands are 6.0 cm taller than in Romania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
