The duel
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside the median country 2.7 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 2% longer than the median country’s.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,473 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 2.4 times as many people as the median country.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 5.5 times as densely populated as the median country.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 10.3 cm taller than in the median country.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 9.8 cm taller than in the median country.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 10 years older than in the median country.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.5 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and the median country are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 29 times the size of the median country’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 4.1 times as much per person as the median country.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in the Netherlands (Gini 8.7 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and the median country are practically level.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× the median country’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 15 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 7.3 years longer than in the median country.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 1.39 points higher than in the median country.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 27% more meat per person than the median country.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 529 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 536 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 2.7 years longer than in the median country.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and the median country are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 42% longer than the median country’s.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 9.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 73% more fine dust than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.3 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 3.6 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 11.8 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 14% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The Netherlands fits inside the median country 2.7 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or the median country?
The Netherlands has 2.4 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or the median country?
People in the Netherlands live 7.3 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or the median country?
Men in the Netherlands are 10.3 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
