Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Saudi Arabia 52 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 5.9 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Saudi Arabia’s highest peak towers 2,138 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Saudi Arabia has 2 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 31 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.1 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 11.5 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 12 years older than in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.9 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia 0.0.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 4% larger than Saudi Arabia’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 18% more per person than Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Saudi Arabia’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 3 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Saudi Arabia is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 14% more doctors per person than Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.41 points higher than in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 23% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 193 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 686 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 1.1 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 8% more tourists per resident than Saudi Arabia (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 97% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 85% in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 3% longer than Saudi Arabia’s.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 77% more passengers per resident than those from Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of the Netherlands, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 5.3 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 35% more likely to be murdered in Saudi Arabia than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 5.4 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 15.6 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 14 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Saudi Arabia 52 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has 2 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Saudi Arabia?
People in the Netherlands live 3 years longer than in Saudi Arabia. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Saudi Arabia?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.1 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
