Netherlands · official figures · 1 January 2025
Netherlands population by province, 2026
The Netherlands has 18,044,027 people on the latest official figures (1 January 2025). South Holland is the largest province, with 3.9 million, followed by North Holland with 3 million; Zeeland is the smallest, with 393 thousand.
All 12 provinces, largest first
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South HollandZuid-Holland | 3,863,397 | +0.60% | +4.17% | 21.4% | 1,130 |
| 2 | North HollandNoord-Holland | 2,992,016 | +0.52% | +3.91% | 16.6% | 731 |
| 3 | North BrabantNoord-Brabant | 2,664,047 | +0.73% | +3.94% | 14.8% | 542 |
| 4 | Gelderland | 2,161,358 | +0.57% | +3.62% | 12.0% | 421 |
| 5 | Utrecht | 1,409,144 | +0.65% | +4.01% | 7.8% | 1,017 |
| 6 | Overijssel | 1,195,789 | +0.57% | +2.87% | 6.6% | 359 |
| 7 | Limburg | 1,135,328 | +0.18% | +1.62% | 6.3% | 527 |
| 8 | Friesland | 664,222 | +0.35% | +2.19% | 3.7% | 116 |
| 9 | Groningen | 602,833 | +0.25% | +2.90% | 3.3% | 204 |
| 10 | Drenthe | 506,529 | +0.48% | +2.60% | 2.8% | 189 |
| 11 | Flevoland | 456,395 | +1.24% | +7.89% | 2.5% | 322 |
| 12 | Zeeland | 392,969 | +0.34% | +2.47% | 2.2% | 134 |
Total area, Wikidata. “In 5 years” compares the latest yearly figures.
Questions
Which province of the Netherlands has the most people?
South Holland, with 3,863,397 people (1 January 2025), 21.4% of the Netherlands. Then North Holland, with 2,992,016.
Which has the fewest people?
Zeeland, with 392,969 (1 January 2025).
Which is growing fastest?
Flevoland, up +1.24% in the latest year. None of them shrank.
What share of the Netherlands’s people live in the three largest?
52.8%: South Holland, North Holland, North Brabant.
How current are these figures, and who publishes them?
They are for 1 January 2025, from Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat updates regional populations once a year.
Source and method
Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat reuse policy (CC BY 4.0). Eurostat updates regional populations once a year. These national figures can differ from the UN’s projection for the Netherlands, which uses one method for every country.
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