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The Netherlands: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated 18 September 2026 · UN World Population Prospects

The Netherlands has a population of 18,448,775 (UN estimate, 2026), with Amsterdam as its capital. The 50 largest of its 1,689 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+15%

since 2000 (16,058,760)

+3%

projected by 2050 (18,958,475)

548

people per km²

UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.

Full UN series, 1950 to 2050

Year	Population
1950	10,113,757
1975	13,680,035
2000	16,058,760
2005	16,465,710
2010	16,771,235
2015	17,107,433
2020	17,636,731
2025	18,346,819
2026	18,448,775
2030 projected	18,757,217
2050 projected	18,958,475

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in The Netherlands

#	Place	Region	Population
1	Rotterdam	South Holland	868,135
2	Amsterdam	North Holland	741,636
3	The Hague	South Holland	474,292
4	Utrecht	Utrecht	376,435
5	Groningen	Groningen	244,807
6	Eindhoven	North Brabant	235,691
7	Tilburg	North Brabant	221,947
8	Breda	North Brabant	184,126
9	Nijmegen	Gelderland	177,359
10	Almere Stad	Flevoland	176,432
11	Haarlem	North Holland	162,543
12	Arnhem	Gelderland	162,424
13	's-Hertogenbosch	North Brabant	160,783
14	Enschede	Overijssel	153,655
15	Zaanstad	North Holland	140,085
16	Amersfoort	Utrecht	139,914
17	Apeldoorn	Gelderland	136,670
18	Hoofddorp	North Holland	132,734
19	Zwolle	Overijssel	129,840
20	Leeuwarden	Friesland	124,481
21	Maastricht	Limburg	122,378
22	Leiden	South Holland	119,713
23	Dordrecht	South Holland	119,260
24	Zoetermeer	South Holland	115,845
25	Venlo	Limburg	101,988
26	Deventer	Overijssel	97,331
27	Delft	South Holland	95,060
28	Alkmaar	North Holland	94,853
29	Heerlen	Limburg	93,084
30	Hilversum	North Holland	83,640
31	Hengelo	Overijssel	82,311
32	Purmerend	North Holland	80,117
33	Lelystad	Flevoland	79,811
34	Amstelveen	North Holland	79,639
35	Roosendaal	North Brabant	77,725
36	Oss	North Brabant	76,430
37	Schiedam	South Holland	75,438
38	Spijkenisse	South Holland	74,988
39	Helmond	North Brabant	74,740
40	Vlaardingen	South Holland	73,798
41	Almelo	Overijssel	72,725
42	Gouda	South Holland	71,952
43	Zaandam	North Holland	71,708
44	Alphen aan den Rijn	South Holland	70,251
45	Hoorn	North Holland	68,852
46	Assen	Drenthe	68,836
47	Velsen-Zuid	North Holland	67,758
48	Ede	Gelderland	67,670
49	Bergen op Zoom	North Brabant	66,256
50	Capelle aan den IJssel	South Holland	65,255

Twenty years earlier: The Netherlands in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 16,322,583.

Common questions

What is the population of The Netherlands?

The Netherlands has a population of 18,448,775, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 18,958,475 — a forecast, not a measurement.

What is the capital of The Netherlands?

Amsterdam. The largest place we record there is Rotterdam, with 868,135 people.

Go deeper

Rotterdam

The largest place we record in The Netherlands: 868,135 people

The Netherlands in 2005

The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 16,322,583 then

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