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Netherlands · province

South Holland population 2026

Zuid-Holland

South Holland has 3,863,397 people on the latest official figure, for 1 January 2025, 22,937 more than a year earlier (+0.60%). It is the most populous of the Netherlands’s 12 provinces, home to 21.4% of the Netherlands’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 3.9 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

South Holland in numbers

Population
3.9 million 1 January 2025
Change in a year
+0.60% +22,937 people
Change since 2020
+4.17% from 3.7 million
Share of the Netherlands
21.4% Largest of 12 provinces
Population density
1,130per km² 3,419 km²

That is about as many people as Croatia (3.8 million).

Population of South Holland by year

Population of South Holland
3.9M
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
20123,552,407
20133,563,935
20143,542,786
20153,565,726
20163,587,874
20173,615,475
20183,646,010
20193,673,893
20203,708,696
20213,726,050
20223,753,944
20233,804,906
20243,840,460
20253,863,397
YearPopulationChange
2025 3,863,397 +22,937
2024 3,840,460 +35,554
2023 3,804,906 +50,962
2022 3,753,944 +27,894
2021 3,726,050 +17,354
2020 3,708,696 +34,803
2019 3,673,893 +27,883
2018 3,646,010 +30,535
2017 3,615,475 +27,601
2016 3,587,874 +22,148
2015 3,565,726 +22,940
2014 3,542,786 −21,149
2013 3,563,935 +11,528
2012 3,552,407 –

South Holland among the Netherlands’s provinces

Full ranking →
Provinces of the Netherlands by population
#
1 South Holland3,863,397+0.60%
2 North Holland2,992,016+0.52%
3 North Brabant2,664,047+0.73%
4 Gelderland2,161,358+0.57%
5 Utrecht1,409,144+0.65%
6 Overijssel1,195,789+0.57%
7 Limburg1,135,328+0.18%
8 Friesland664,222+0.35%
9 Groningen602,833+0.25%
10 Drenthe506,529+0.48%
11 Flevoland456,395+1.24%
12 Zeeland392,969+0.34%

Largest cities in South Holland

City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.

  1. Rotterdam868,135
  2. The Hague474,292
  3. Leiden119,713
  4. Dordrecht119,260
  5. Zoetermeer115,845
  6. Delft95,060

Air quality in South Holland today

Hourly AQI and a 48-hour forecast.

Rotterdam

Questions

What is the population of South Holland in 2026?
The latest official figure is 3,863,397, for 1 January 2025 (Eurostat). If last year’s change continues, South Holland would have about 3.9 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year.

Is South Holland’s population growing or shrinking?
It grew by 22,937 people (+0.60%) in the latest year, and has changed +4.17% since 2020.

How does South Holland rank in the Netherlands?
South Holland is the most populous of the Netherlands’s 12 provinces, with 21.4% of the people.

What is the population density of South Holland?
About 1,130 people per km², on 3,419 km². Total area, Wikidata.

What is the largest city in South Holland?
Rotterdam, with about 868 thousand people in the city proper. Metro areas are larger, and years differ (GeoNames).

Source and method

Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat reuse policy (CC BY 4.0). Total area, Wikidata. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for the Netherlands, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.

Cite this page: South Holland population, Eurostat, 1 January 2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/netherlands/south-holland/

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