The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside the United States 237 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 44 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 5,328 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 19 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 14 times as densely populated as the United States.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 6.8 cm taller than in the United States.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 7.1 cm taller than in the United States.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 3.4 years older than in the United States.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.2 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 18% in the United States.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United States 8.7.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and the United States are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 23 times the size of the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 3% more per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in the Netherlands (Gini 16.1 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
The United States and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 2 times as much on health per person as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 3.1 years longer than in the United States.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 62% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 5% more doctors per person than the United States.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (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 the United States.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 12% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 71% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 480 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 350 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 1.2 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 4.3 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 95% in the United States.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and the United States are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 80% in the United States.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 49 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 20% more passengers per resident than those from the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 28% more fine dust than in the United States.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8.3 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 4.2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 0.9 °C warmer than the United States.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 5% more rain than the United States.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. The Netherlands fits inside the United States 237 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or the United States?
The United States has 19 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or the United States?
People in the Netherlands live 3.1 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or the United States?
Men in the Netherlands are 6.8 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
