Urban population (% of total population) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Urban population (% of total population) was 95.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Netherlands, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Netherlands stood at 95.9%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Netherlands peaked at 95.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 59.9%, in 1960.
Netherlands ranks 15th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population (% of total population) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 59.9% | — |
| 1961 | 60.1% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 60.3% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 60.3% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 60.9% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 61.2% | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 61.3% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 61.6% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 61.8% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 61.8% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 62.1% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 62.8% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 63.1% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 63.5% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 64.2% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 64.4% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 64.5% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 64.6% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 64.6% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 64.8% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 65.0% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 65.7% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 66.5% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 66.9% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 67.4% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 67.6% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 68.0% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 68.2% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 68.4% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 68.8% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 69.2% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 69.3% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 69.8% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 70.4% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 70.7% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 72.4% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 75.6% | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 76.8% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 77.1% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 78.5% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 80.2% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 80.8% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 81.3% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 82.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 83.5% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 84.7% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 85.4% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 85.6% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 86.2% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 87.4% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 88.0% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 88.5% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 89.2% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 89.8% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 90.3% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 90.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 91.1% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 92.6% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 93.9% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 94.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 94.6% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 95.3% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 95.6% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 95.9% | +0.3% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 95.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 1.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 95.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.6%, 1.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 60.9% | 59.9% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 63.9% | 62.1% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.2% | 65.0% | 68.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.0% | 69.0% | 77.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.8% | 78.5% | 86.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.1% | 87.4% | 93.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.1% | 94.3% | 95.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 13 Qatar 99.4% compare
- 14 San Marino 97.2% compare
- 16 Malta 95.7% compare
- 17 Uruguay 95.7% compare
- 18 United States Virgin Islands 95.4% compare
More climate change data for Netherlands
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.61 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.86 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -1.43 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.523 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8374 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.9594 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate -175.91 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Netherlands?
- Urban population in Netherlands was 95.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 95.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.9% in 1960.
- How does Netherlands rank for urban population?
- Netherlands ranks 15th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.