NUTS 3 areas of Netherlands by population

Groot-Rijnmond had the highest population of 40 areas in 2017, at 1.42 million. Delfzijl en omgeving had the lowest, at 46,850. The median was 321,509 and the figure for the Netherlands was 17.08 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1,422,465Groot-Rijnmond
Median321,50940 areas
Netherlands17,081,507History

All areas, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

Groot-RijnmondGroot-Rijnmond: 1,422,465 persons1,422,465Groot-AmsterdamGroot-Amsterdam: 1,369,075 persons1,369,075UtrechtUtrecht: 1,319,251 persons1,319,251Agglomeratie ’s-GravenhageAgglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage: 853,987 persons853,987Zuidoost-Noord-BrabantZuidoost-Noord-Brabant: 761,763 persons761,763Arnhem/NijmegenArnhem/Nijmegen: 730,428 persons730,428VeluweVeluwe: 677,662 persons677,662Noordoost-Noord-BrabantNoordoost-Noord-Brabant: 643,961 persons643,961West-Noord-BrabantWest-Noord-Brabant: 627,967 persons627,967TwenteTwente: 627,209 persons627,209Zuid-LimburgZuid-Limburg: 600,037 persons600,037Midden-Noord-BrabantMidden-Noord-Brabant: 478,840 persons478,840Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstre…Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek: 421,296 persons421,296FlevolandFlevoland: 407,818 persons407,818Overig GroningenOverig Groningen: 401,500 persons401,500AchterhoekAchterhoek: 399,921 persons399,921Kop van Noord-HollandKop van Noord-Holland: 373,266 persons373,266Zuidoost-Zuid-HollandZuidoost-Zuid-Holland: 367,626 persons367,626Noord-OverijsselNoord-Overijssel: 366,319 persons366,319Oost-Zuid-HollandOost-Zuid-Holland: 324,054 persons324,054Noord-FrieslandNoord-Friesland: 318,964 persons318,964Noord-LimburgNoord-Limburg: 281,514 persons281,514Overig ZeelandOverig Zeeland: 275,927 persons275,927Alkmaar en omgevingAlkmaar en omgeving: 243,632 persons243,632Zuidwest-GelderlandZuidwest-Gelderland: 239,890 persons239,890Midden-LimburgMidden-Limburg: 235,995 persons235,995Het Gooi en VechtstreekHet Gooi en Vechtstreek: 231,941 persons231,941Delft en WestlandDelft en Westland: 226,047 persons226,047Agglomeratie HaarlemAgglomeratie Haarlem: 225,890 persons225,890IJmondIJmond: 196,180 persons196,180Noord-DrentheNoord-Drenthe: 192,497 persons192,497Zuidoost-FrieslandZuidoost-Friesland: 186,764 persons186,764ZaanstreekZaanstreek: 169,499 persons169,499Zuidoost-DrentheZuidoost-Drenthe: 168,131 persons168,131Zuidwest-OverijsselZuidwest-Overijssel: 154,159 persons154,159Zuidwest-FrieslandZuidwest-Friesland: 141,146 persons141,146Oost-GroningenOost-Groningen: 135,231 persons135,231Zuidwest-DrentheZuidwest-Drenthe: 131,164 persons131,164Zeeuwsch-VlaanderenZeeuwsch-Vlaanderen: 105,641 persons105,641Delfzijl en omgevingDelfzijl en omgeving: 46,850 persons46,850
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankAreas2017
persons
Change on 2016
1Groot-Rijnmond1,422,465+0.7%
2Groot-Amsterdam1,369,075+1.1%
3Utrecht1,319,251+0.9%
4Agglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage853,987+1%
5Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant761,763+0.7%
6Arnhem/Nijmegen730,428+0.6%
7Veluwe677,662+0.8%
8Noordoost-Noord-Brabant643,961+0.5%
9West-Noord-Brabant627,967+0.4%
10Twente627,209+0.1%
11Zuid-Limburg600,037-0.1%
12Midden-Noord-Brabant478,840+0.6%
13Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek421,296+0.8%
14Flevoland407,818+0.9%
15Overig Groningen401,500+0.3%
16Achterhoek399,921+0.2%
17Kop van Noord-Holland373,266+0.2%
18Zuidoost-Zuid-Holland367,626+0.3%
19Noord-Overijssel366,319+0.6%
20Oost-Zuid-Holland324,054+1%
21Noord-Friesland318,964+0.1%
22Noord-Limburg281,514+0.6%
23Overig Zeeland275,927+0.1%
24Alkmaar en omgeving243,632+0.8%
25Zuidwest-Gelderland239,890+0.7%
26Midden-Limburg235,995+0.2%
27Het Gooi en Vechtstreek231,941+1%
28Delft en Westland226,047+0.5%
29Agglomeratie Haarlem225,890+0.8%
30IJmond196,180+0.6%
31Noord-Drenthe192,497+1.5%
32Zuidoost-Friesland186,764+0.1%
33Zaanstreek169,499+0.8%
34Zuidoost-Drenthe168,131-0.1%
35Zuidwest-Overijssel154,159+0.5%
36Zuidwest-Friesland141,146+0.3%
37Oost-Groningen135,231-0.8%
38Zuidwest-Drenthe131,164+0.4%
39Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen105,641-0%
40Delfzijl en omgeving46,850-0.6%

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 1.42 million in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Delfzijl en omgeving, with 46,850 in 2017.

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