The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Timor-Leste fits inside the Netherlands 2.8 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Timor-Leste: 14,870 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Timor-Leste’s coastline is 57% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Timor-Leste: 706 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Timor-Leste’s highest peak towers 2,101 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Timor-Leste: 2,963 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 13 times as many people as Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Timor-Leste: 1.42 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 5.6 times as densely populated as Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Timor-Leste: 95 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 23.7 cm taller than in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Timor-Leste: 160.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 17.7 cm taller than in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Timor-Leste: 152.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 20 years older than in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Timor-Leste: 21 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Timor-Leste have 1.2 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Timor-Leste: 2.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 5.2% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Timor-Leste: 5.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Timor-Leste has produced 14.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Netherlands 11.1.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Timor-Leste: 14.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Timor-Leste has 2 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Timor-Leste: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 701 times the size of Timor-Leste’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Timor-Leste: $1.9 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 18 times as much per person as Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Timor-Leste: Int$4,809 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Timor-Leste than in the Netherlands (Gini 3 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Timor-Leste: 28.7 (2014)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 1.6% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Timor-Leste: 1.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Timor-Leste spends 2.7% of its GDP on the military, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Timor-Leste: 2.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 3× Timor-Leste’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Timor-Leste: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 47 times as much on health per person as Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Timor-Leste: $144 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 14 years longer than in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Timor-Leste: 67.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Timor-Leste is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Timor-Leste: 34.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 5.2 times as many doctors per person as Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Timor-Leste: 0.8 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 3.3% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Timor-Leste: 3.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
49% of adults in Timor-Leste smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Timor-Leste: 48.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Timor-Leste: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 42 times as much alcohol as in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Timor-Leste: 0.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 2.3 times as much meat per person as Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Timor-Leste: 31.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 1,190 kcal more food per person per day than Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Timor-Leste: 2,277 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Timor-Leste: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 6.4 years longer than in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Timor-Leste: 6.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 15 times as many tourists per resident as Timor-Leste (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Timor-Leste: 0.06 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 35% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Timor-Leste: 35% (2021)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 94% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Timor-Leste: 94.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 29% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Timor-Leste: 29% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Timor-Leste 116.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Timor-Leste: 116 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Timor-Leste: no data
How much do they fly?
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Timor-Leste: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of Timor-Leste, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Timor-Leste: 61.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Timor-Leste: 0.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 0.0% in Timor-Leste.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Timor-Leste: 0% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Timor-Leste carries 13% more fine dust than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Timor-Leste: 10.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.9 times as likely to be murdered in Timor-Leste as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Timor-Leste: 4.1 per 100k (2015)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Timor-Leste are 3.5 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Timor-Leste: 12 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Timor-Leste is on average 13.7 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Timor-Leste: 24.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Timor-Leste gets 2 times as much rain as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Timor-Leste: 1,817 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Timor-Leste?
The Netherlands is larger. Timor-Leste fits inside the Netherlands 2.8 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Timor-Leste?
The Netherlands has 13 times as many people as Timor-Leste (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Timor-Leste?
People in the Netherlands live 14 years longer than in Timor-Leste. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 67.9 in Timor-Leste.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Timor-Leste?
Men in the Netherlands are 23.7 cm taller than in Timor-Leste (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
