NUTS 3 areas of Netherlands by population

Groot-Rijnmond had the highest population of 40 areas in 2020, at 1.45 million. Delfzijl en omgeving had the lowest, at 45,857. The median was 327,632 and the figure for the Netherlands was 17.41 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1,454,720Groot-Rijnmond
Median327,63240 areas
Netherlands17,407,585History

All areas, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

Groot-RijnmondGroot-Rijnmond: 1,454,720 persons1,454,720Groot-AmsterdamGroot-Amsterdam: 1,412,433 persons1,412,433UtrechtUtrecht: 1,354,834 persons1,354,834Agglomeratie ’s-GravenhageAgglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage: 883,720 persons883,720Zuidoost-Noord-BrabantZuidoost-Noord-Brabant: 780,611 persons780,611Arnhem/NijmegenArnhem/Nijmegen: 742,694 persons742,694VeluweVeluwe: 695,500 persons695,500Noordoost-Noord-BrabantNoordoost-Noord-Brabant: 655,912 persons655,912West-Noord-BrabantWest-Noord-Brabant: 635,904 persons635,904TwenteTwente: 631,064 persons631,064Zuid-LimburgZuid-Limburg: 597,184 persons597,184Midden-Noord-BrabantMidden-Noord-Brabant: 490,528 persons490,528Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstre…Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek: 430,358 persons430,358FlevolandFlevoland: 423,021 persons423,021Overig GroningenOverig Groningen: 404,801 persons404,801AchterhoekAchterhoek: 401,193 persons401,193Kop van Noord-HollandKop van Noord-Holland: 377,769 persons377,769Noord-OverijsselNoord-Overijssel: 374,659 persons374,659Zuidoost-Zuid-HollandZuidoost-Zuid-Holland: 371,970 persons371,970Oost-Zuid-HollandOost-Zuid-Holland: 334,617 persons334,617Noord-FrieslandNoord-Friesland: 320,647 persons320,647Noord-LimburgNoord-Limburg: 282,605 persons282,605Overig ZeelandOverig Zeeland: 278,296 persons278,296Alkmaar en omgevingAlkmaar en omgeving: 248,993 persons248,993Zuidwest-GelderlandZuidwest-Gelderland: 246,565 persons246,565Midden-LimburgMidden-Limburg: 237,412 persons237,412Het Gooi en VechtstreekHet Gooi en Vechtstreek: 237,337 persons237,337Delft en WestlandDelft en Westland: 233,311 persons233,311Agglomeratie HaarlemAgglomeratie Haarlem: 230,823 persons230,823IJmondIJmond: 199,108 persons199,108Noord-DrentheNoord-Drenthe: 192,369 persons192,369Zuidoost-FrieslandZuidoost-Friesland: 187,759 persons187,759ZaanstreekZaanstreek: 173,064 persons173,064Zuidoost-DrentheZuidoost-Drenthe: 167,904 persons167,904Zuidwest-OverijsselZuidwest-Overijssel: 156,683 persons156,683Zuidwest-FrieslandZuidwest-Friesland: 141,551 persons141,551Oost-GroningenOost-Groningen: 135,208 persons135,208Zuidwest-DrentheZuidwest-Drenthe: 133,409 persons133,409Zeeuwsch-VlaanderenZeeuwsch-Vlaanderen: 105,192 persons105,192Delfzijl en omgevingDelfzijl en omgeving: 45,857 persons45,857
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankAreas2020
persons
Change on 2019
1Groot-Rijnmond1,454,720+0.9%
2Groot-Amsterdam1,412,433+1.2%
3Utrecht1,354,834+0.9%
4Agglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage883,720+1.3%
5Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant780,611+1%
6Arnhem/Nijmegen742,694+0.6%
7Veluwe695,500+1%
8Noordoost-Noord-Brabant655,912+0.7%
9West-Noord-Brabant635,904+0.3%
10Twente631,064+0.3%
11Zuid-Limburg597,184-0%
12Midden-Noord-Brabant490,528+0.9%
13Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek430,358+0.7%
14Flevoland423,021+1.6%
15Overig Groningen404,801+0.4%
16Achterhoek401,193+0.1%
17Kop van Noord-Holland377,769+0.6%
18Noord-Overijssel374,659+0.8%
19Zuidoost-Zuid-Holland371,970+0.5%
20Oost-Zuid-Holland334,617+0.9%
21Noord-Friesland320,647+0.4%
22Noord-Limburg282,605+0.2%
23Overig Zeeland278,296+0.3%
24Alkmaar en omgeving248,993+0.9%
25Zuidwest-Gelderland246,565+1%
26Midden-Limburg237,412+0.3%
27Het Gooi en Vechtstreek237,337+0.7%
28Delft en Westland233,311+0.9%
29Agglomeratie Haarlem230,823+0.8%
30IJmond199,108+0.6%
31Noord-Drenthe192,369+0.4%
32Zuidoost-Friesland187,759+0.3%
33Zaanstreek173,064+0.5%
34Zuidoost-Drenthe167,904-0%
35Zuidwest-Overijssel156,683+0.7%
36Zuidwest-Friesland141,551+0.3%
37Oost-Groningen135,208+0.3%
38Zuidwest-Drenthe133,409+0.5%
39Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen105,192-0.3%
40Delfzijl en omgeving45,857-0.4%

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 1.45 million in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Delfzijl en omgeving, with 45,857 in 2020.

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