NUTS 3 areas of Netherlands by population

Groot-Rijnmond had the highest population of 40 areas in 2016, at 1.41 million. Delfzijl en omgeving had the lowest, at 47,111. The median was 319,695 and the figure for the Netherlands was 16.98 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1,412,322Groot-Rijnmond
Median319,69540 areas
Netherlands16,979,120History

All areas, 2016

CSVChart (SVG)

Groot-RijnmondGroot-Rijnmond: 1,412,322 persons1,412,322Groot-AmsterdamGroot-Amsterdam: 1,353,722 persons1,353,722UtrechtUtrecht: 1,308,042 persons1,308,042Agglomeratie ’s-GravenhageAgglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage: 845,425 persons845,425Zuidoost-Noord-BrabantZuidoost-Noord-Brabant: 756,615 persons756,615Arnhem/NijmegenArnhem/Nijmegen: 725,759 persons725,759VeluweVeluwe: 672,027 persons672,027Noordoost-Noord-BrabantNoordoost-Noord-Brabant: 640,784 persons640,784TwenteTwente: 626,525 persons626,525West-Noord-BrabantWest-Noord-Brabant: 625,319 persons625,319Zuid-LimburgZuid-Limburg: 600,860 persons600,860Midden-Noord-BrabantMidden-Noord-Brabant: 476,031 persons476,031Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstre…Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek: 418,023 persons418,023FlevolandFlevoland: 404,068 persons404,068Overig GroningenOverig Groningen: 400,260 persons400,260AchterhoekAchterhoek: 399,260 persons399,260Kop van Noord-HollandKop van Noord-Holland: 372,606 persons372,606Zuidoost-Zuid-HollandZuidoost-Zuid-Holland: 366,479 persons366,479Noord-OverijsselNoord-Overijssel: 364,300 persons364,300Oost-Zuid-HollandOost-Zuid-Holland: 320,758 persons320,758Noord-FrieslandNoord-Friesland: 318,632 persons318,632Noord-LimburgNoord-Limburg: 279,971 persons279,971Overig ZeelandOverig Zeeland: 275,584 persons275,584Alkmaar en omgevingAlkmaar en omgeving: 241,621 persons241,621Zuidwest-GelderlandZuidwest-Gelderland: 238,305 persons238,305Midden-LimburgMidden-Limburg: 235,429 persons235,429Het Gooi en VechtstreekHet Gooi en Vechtstreek: 229,752 persons229,752Delft en WestlandDelft en Westland: 224,867 persons224,867Agglomeratie HaarlemAgglomeratie Haarlem: 223,994 persons223,994IJmondIJmond: 195,029 persons195,029Noord-DrentheNoord-Drenthe: 189,597 persons189,597Zuidoost-FrieslandZuidoost-Friesland: 186,650 persons186,650Zuidoost-DrentheZuidoost-Drenthe: 168,336 persons168,336ZaanstreekZaanstreek: 168,130 persons168,130Zuidwest-OverijsselZuidwest-Overijssel: 153,455 persons153,455Zuidwest-FrieslandZuidwest-Friesland: 140,758 persons140,758Oost-GroningenOost-Groningen: 136,350 persons136,350Zuidwest-DrentheZuidwest-Drenthe: 130,696 persons130,696Zeeuwsch-VlaanderenZeeuwsch-Vlaanderen: 105,668 persons105,668Delfzijl en omgevingDelfzijl en omgeving: 47,111 persons47,111
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankAreas2016
persons
Change on 2015
1Groot-Rijnmond1,412,322+0.6%
2Groot-Amsterdam1,353,722+1.2%
3Utrecht1,308,042+0.8%
4Agglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage845,425+0.9%
5Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant756,615+0.5%
6Arnhem/Nijmegen725,759+0.5%
7Veluwe672,027+0.6%
8Noordoost-Noord-Brabant640,784+0.3%
9Twente626,525+0.1%
10West-Noord-Brabant625,319+0.2%
11Zuid-Limburg600,860-0.2%
12Midden-Noord-Brabant476,031+0.5%
13Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek418,023+0.7%
14Flevoland404,068+0.6%
15Overig Groningen400,260+0.2%
16Achterhoek399,260+0.1%
17Kop van Noord-Holland372,606+0.1%
18Zuidoost-Zuid-Holland366,479+0.1%
19Noord-Overijssel364,300+0.7%
20Oost-Zuid-Holland320,758+0.6%
21Noord-Friesland318,6320%
22Noord-Limburg279,971-0.2%
23Overig Zeeland275,584+0.2%
24Alkmaar en omgeving241,621+0.5%
25Zuidwest-Gelderland238,305+0.3%
26Midden-Limburg235,4290%
27Het Gooi en Vechtstreek229,752+0.7%
28Delft en Westland224,867+0.4%
29Agglomeratie Haarlem223,994+0.9%
30IJmond195,029+0.5%
31Noord-Drenthe189,597+0.1%
32Zuidoost-Friesland186,650-0.1%
33Zuidoost-Drenthe168,336-0.3%
34Zaanstreek168,130+0.6%
35Zuidwest-Overijssel153,455+0.3%
36Zuidwest-Friesland140,758-0.1%
37Oost-Groningen136,350-0.3%
38Zuidwest-Drenthe130,696+0.2%
39Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen105,668-0%
40Delfzijl en omgeving47,111-0.9%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the areas are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_r_pjanaggr3/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which area has the highest population?

Groot-Rijnmond, with 1.41 million in 2016, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Delfzijl en omgeving, with 47,111 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Population: other rankings

NUTS 3 areas of Netherlands: more rankings