Population density 15 percent higher than in 2000

Since the turn of the century, the Dutch population has grown from 15.9 million to 18.1 million inhabitants in early 2026. This means that the population density has also increased. While population density in 2000 was 468 inhabitants per square kilometre of land area, the number had risen to 539 in early 2026.

Zuid-Holland is seven times as densely populated as Drenthe

Population density is highest in the west of the Netherlands and lowest in the north. Zuid-Holland has the highest number of inhabitants per square kilometre: over 1.4 thousand. The provinces of Noord-Holland, Utrecht and, to a lesser extent, Noord-Brabant are also relatively densely populated. Population density is lowest in the northeastern province of Drenthe, with an average of 193 people per square kilometre.

In percentage terms, population density has increased most significantly in Flevoland (47 percent) and Zuid-Holland (21 percent) since 2000. Noord-Holland (19 percent) and Utrecht (17 percent) also saw the number of inhabitants per square kilometre rise faster than the national average of 15 percent.

The Hague is the most densely populated city

In early 2026, population density ranged from 24 inhabitants per square kilometre on the island of Schiermonnikoog to over 2.5 thousand inhabitants per square kilometre in urbanised municipalities, particularly in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. The Hague has the highest population density of any municipality, at 6.9 thousand inhabitants per square kilometre, followed by Leiden (5.9 thousand) and Haarlem (5.8 thousand). Other municipalities on the edge of large cities, such as Capelle aan den IJssel and Rijswijk, are also relatively densely populated. The Wadden Islands, off the northern coast of the Netherlands, have the most space per inhabitant. Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog have fewer than 100 people per square kilometre outside the tourist season.

It should be noted that not all municipalities with a relatively large number of inhabitants also have a high population density. The municipality of Rotterdam includes the sparsely populated port area, for instance, which means that it does not feature among the municipalities with the highest population density. Similarly, the municipality of Ede has an urbanised town centre, but the natural areas in the Veluwe and the dispersed pattern of settlement bring down the population density of the municipality as a whole.

Highest number of single-person households in Wageningen

In early 2026, there were 8.5 million households in the Netherlands, 3.4 million of which were single-person households. In early 2000, there were approximately 6.8 million households. The average size of a household in the Netherlands in January 2026 was 2.1, compared with 2.3 in early 2000. This means that the number of households has grown much faster than the population as a whole. Municipalities with a low average household size require a relatively large number of, generally smaller, homes for their residents.
Wageningen has the highest proportion of single-person households (63 percent), followed by Groningen (61 percent). Schiermonnikoog, Delft, Maastricht and Leiden also have high shares (55 percent), while Lansingerland, Rozendaal and Urk have the lowest shares of single-person households.

Malta is the only EU country that is more densely populated than the Netherlands

The Netherlands ranks among the most densely populated countries in the European Union. In fact, it is the second most densely populated country in the EU, after Malta (1.7 thousand inhabitants per square kilometre). Malta has a very small land area combined with a relatively high population density. The Netherlands has almost five times as many inhabitants per square kilometre as the European Union average (110 inhabitants per square kilometre). Finland (with 18 inhabitants per square kilometre), Sweden (26) and the Baltic States are the least densely populated.