NUTS 3 areas of Netherlands by population

Groot-Rijnmond had the highest population of 40 areas in 2018, at 1.43 million. Delfzijl en omgeving had the lowest, at 46,396. The median was 323,370 and the figure for the Netherlands was 17.18 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1,431,245Groot-Rijnmond
Median323,37040 areas
Netherlands17,181,084History

All areas, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Groot-RijnmondGroot-Rijnmond: 1,431,245 persons1,431,245Groot-AmsterdamGroot-Amsterdam: 1,382,689 persons1,382,689UtrechtUtrecht: 1,330,518 persons1,330,518Agglomeratie ’s-GravenhageAgglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage: 864,129 persons864,129Zuidoost-Noord-BrabantZuidoost-Noord-Brabant: 766,818 persons766,818Arnhem/NijmegenArnhem/Nijmegen: 735,203 persons735,203VeluweVeluwe: 683,240 persons683,240Noordoost-Noord-BrabantNoordoost-Noord-Brabant: 647,645 persons647,645West-Noord-BrabantWest-Noord-Brabant: 631,423 persons631,423TwenteTwente: 627,848 persons627,848Zuid-LimburgZuid-Limburg: 599,025 persons599,025Midden-Noord-BrabantMidden-Noord-Brabant: 482,400 persons482,400Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstre…Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek: 424,657 persons424,657FlevolandFlevoland: 411,670 persons411,670Overig GroningenOverig Groningen: 401,778 persons401,778AchterhoekAchterhoek: 400,416 persons400,416Kop van Noord-HollandKop van Noord-Holland: 374,461 persons374,461Zuidoost-Zuid-HollandZuidoost-Zuid-Holland: 369,075 persons369,075Noord-OverijsselNoord-Overijssel: 368,819 persons368,819Oost-Zuid-HollandOost-Zuid-Holland: 327,821 persons327,821Noord-FrieslandNoord-Friesland: 318,919 persons318,919Noord-LimburgNoord-Limburg: 281,486 persons281,486Overig ZeelandOverig Zeeland: 276,866 persons276,866Alkmaar en omgevingAlkmaar en omgeving: 245,196 persons245,196Zuidwest-GelderlandZuidwest-Gelderland: 241,244 persons241,244Midden-LimburgMidden-Limburg: 236,687 persons236,687Het Gooi en VechtstreekHet Gooi en Vechtstreek: 233,827 persons233,827Delft en WestlandDelft en Westland: 229,083 persons229,083Agglomeratie HaarlemAgglomeratie Haarlem: 226,967 persons226,967IJmondIJmond: 197,182 persons197,182Noord-DrentheNoord-Drenthe: 192,102 persons192,102Zuidoost-FrieslandZuidoost-Friesland: 187,013 persons187,013ZaanstreekZaanstreek: 170,860 persons170,860Zuidoost-DrentheZuidoost-Drenthe: 167,842 persons167,842Zuidwest-OverijsselZuidwest-Overijssel: 154,834 persons154,834Zuidwest-FrieslandZuidwest-Friesland: 141,336 persons141,336Oost-GroningenOost-Groningen: 134,770 persons134,770Zuidwest-DrentheZuidwest-Drenthe: 132,156 persons132,156Zeeuwsch-VlaanderenZeeuwsch-Vlaanderen: 105,438 persons105,438Delfzijl en omgevingDelfzijl en omgeving: 46,396 persons46,396
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankAreas2018
persons
Change on 2017
1Groot-Rijnmond1,431,245+0.6%
2Groot-Amsterdam1,382,689+1%
3Utrecht1,330,518+0.9%
4Agglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage864,129+1.2%
5Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant766,818+0.7%
6Arnhem/Nijmegen735,203+0.7%
7Veluwe683,240+0.8%
8Noordoost-Noord-Brabant647,645+0.6%
9West-Noord-Brabant631,423+0.6%
10Twente627,848+0.1%
11Zuid-Limburg599,025-0.2%
12Midden-Noord-Brabant482,400+0.7%
13Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek424,657+0.8%
14Flevoland411,670+0.9%
15Overig Groningen401,778+0.1%
16Achterhoek400,416+0.1%
17Kop van Noord-Holland374,461+0.3%
18Zuidoost-Zuid-Holland369,075+0.4%
19Noord-Overijssel368,819+0.7%
20Oost-Zuid-Holland327,821+1.2%
21Noord-Friesland318,919-0%
22Noord-Limburg281,486-0%
23Overig Zeeland276,866+0.3%
24Alkmaar en omgeving245,196+0.6%
25Zuidwest-Gelderland241,244+0.6%
26Midden-Limburg236,687+0.3%
27Het Gooi en Vechtstreek233,827+0.8%
28Delft en Westland229,083+1.3%
29Agglomeratie Haarlem226,967+0.5%
30IJmond197,182+0.5%
31Noord-Drenthe192,102-0.2%
32Zuidoost-Friesland187,013+0.1%
33Zaanstreek170,860+0.8%
34Zuidoost-Drenthe167,842-0.2%
35Zuidwest-Overijssel154,834+0.4%
36Zuidwest-Friesland141,336+0.1%
37Oost-Groningen134,770-0.3%
38Zuidwest-Drenthe132,156+0.8%
39Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen105,438-0.2%
40Delfzijl en omgeving46,396-1%

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 1.43 million in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Delfzijl en omgeving, with 46,396 in 2018.

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