The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside the United Kingdom 5.9 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 28 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Kingdom’s highest peak towers 483 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 3.8 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 87% more densely populated than the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.6 cm taller than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 6.4 cm taller than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 1.6 years older than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.1 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Netherlands 11.1.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 3 times the size of the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 35% more per person than the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in the Netherlands (Gini 6.7 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 17% more on health per person than the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 0.58 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 17% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.53 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 22% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 18% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 32 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Kingdom put in 84 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.82 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 64% more tourists per resident than the United Kingdom (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 5.3 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 34% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 39% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 9% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 62% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Netherlands are 42% deadlier than in the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 1.3 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 21% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. The Netherlands fits inside the United Kingdom 5.9 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 3.8 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom?
People in the Netherlands live 0.58 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or the United Kingdom?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.6 cm taller than in the United Kingdom (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
