Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Thailand 12 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Thailand: 513,115 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Thailand’s coastline is 7.1 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Thailand: 3,219 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Thailand’s highest peak towers 1,703 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Thailand: 2,565 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Thailand has 4 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Thailand: 71.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 3.8 times as densely populated as Thailand.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Thailand: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 12.2 cm taller than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Thailand: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 10.9 cm taller than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Thailand: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 1.7 years older than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Thailand: 39.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Netherlands have 0.2 more children on average than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Thailand: 1.2 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 16% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Thailand: 16% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Thailand 0.0.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Thailand: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Thailand are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Thailand: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2.3 times the size of Thailand’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Thailand: $577 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 3.3 times as much per person as Thailand.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Thailand: Int$26,250 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Thailand than in the Netherlands (Gini 7.6 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Thailand: 33.3 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 0.8% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Thailand: 0.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Thailand 1.1%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Thailand: 1.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Thailand’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Thailand: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 21 times as much on health per person as Thailand.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Thailand: $327 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 5.4 years longer than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Thailand: 76.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Thailand is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Thailand: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 7.2 times as many doctors per person as Thailand.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Thailand: 0.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 16% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Thailand: 15.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 18% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Thailand: 17.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.93 points higher than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Thailand: 6.30 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 8% more alcohol than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Thailand: 7.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 2.9 times as much meat per person as Thailand.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Thailand: 24.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 612 kcal more food per person per day than Thailand.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Thailand: 2,855 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Thailand put in 738 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Thailand: 2,177 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 3.6 years longer than in Thailand.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Thailand: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 63% more tourists per resident than Thailand (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Thailand: 0.56 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 91% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Thailand: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Thailand are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Thailand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 63% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Thailand: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Thailand has 161 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Thailand: 161 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Thailand’s railway network is 35% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Thailand: 4,092 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 3.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Thailand.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Thailand: 0.72 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Thailand, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Thailand: 38.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 69% more CO₂ than someone in Thailand.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Thailand: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Thailand.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Thailand: 16.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Thailand carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Thailand: 23.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Thailand: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Thailand are 7.5 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Thailand: 25.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Thailand is on average 15.5 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Thailand gets 87% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 1,657 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Thailand?
Thailand is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Thailand 12 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Thailand?
Thailand has 4 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Thailand?
People in the Netherlands live 5.4 years longer than in Thailand. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 76.6 in Thailand.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Thailand?
Men in the Netherlands are 12.2 cm taller than in Thailand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
