NUTS 3 areas of Netherlands by population

Groot-Rijnmond had the highest population of 40 areas in 2023, at 1.49 million. Delfzijl en omgeving had the lowest, at 45,394. The median was 336,077 and the figure for the Netherlands was 17.81 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1,488,475Groot-Rijnmond
Median336,07740 areas
Netherlands17,811,291History

All areas, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

Groot-RijnmondGroot-Rijnmond: 1,488,475 persons1,488,475Groot-AmsterdamGroot-Amsterdam: 1,456,187 persons1,456,187UtrechtUtrecht: 1,387,643 persons1,387,643Agglomeratie ’s-GravenhageAgglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage: 910,352 persons910,352Zuidoost-Noord-BrabantZuidoost-Noord-Brabant: 803,180 persons803,180Arnhem/NijmegenArnhem/Nijmegen: 756,995 persons756,995VeluweVeluwe: 715,792 persons715,792Noordoost-Noord-BrabantNoordoost-Noord-Brabant: 672,514 persons672,514West-Noord-BrabantWest-Noord-Brabant: 646,718 persons646,718TwenteTwente: 638,897 persons638,897Zuid-LimburgZuid-Limburg: 597,652 persons597,652Midden-Noord-BrabantMidden-Noord-Brabant: 503,798 persons503,798FlevolandFlevoland: 444,701 persons444,701Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstre…Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek: 440,312 persons440,312Overig GroningenOverig Groningen: 412,945 persons412,945AchterhoekAchterhoek: 406,261 persons406,261Kop van Noord-HollandKop van Noord-Holland: 385,743 persons385,743Noord-OverijsselNoord-Overijssel: 385,473 persons385,473Zuidoost-Zuid-HollandZuidoost-Zuid-Holland: 379,752 persons379,752Oost-Zuid-HollandOost-Zuid-Holland: 345,570 persons345,570Noord-FrieslandNoord-Friesland: 326,583 persons326,583Noord-LimburgNoord-Limburg: 289,248 persons289,248Overig ZeelandOverig Zeeland: 285,292 persons285,292Alkmaar en omgevingAlkmaar en omgeving: 255,276 persons255,276Zuidwest-GelderlandZuidwest-Gelderland: 254,660 persons254,660Het Gooi en VechtstreekHet Gooi en Vechtstreek: 243,799 persons243,799Midden-LimburgMidden-Limburg: 241,467 persons241,467Delft en WestlandDelft en Westland: 240,445 persons240,445Agglomeratie HaarlemAgglomeratie Haarlem: 234,638 persons234,638IJmondIJmond: 200,749 persons200,749Noord-DrentheNoord-Drenthe: 195,308 persons195,308Zuidoost-FrieslandZuidoost-Friesland: 190,093 persons190,093ZaanstreekZaanstreek: 176,230 persons176,230Zuidoost-DrentheZuidoost-Drenthe: 170,384 persons170,384Zuidwest-OverijsselZuidwest-Overijssel: 159,963 persons159,963Zuidwest-FrieslandZuidwest-Friesland: 142,875 persons142,875Oost-GroningenOost-Groningen: 137,736 persons137,736Zuidwest-DrentheZuidwest-Drenthe: 136,359 persons136,359Zeeuwsch-VlaanderenZeeuwsch-Vlaanderen: 105,832 persons105,832Delfzijl en omgevingDelfzijl en omgeving: 45,394 persons45,394
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankAreas2023
persons
Change on 2022
1Groot-Rijnmond1,488,475+1.2%
2Groot-Amsterdam1,456,187+1.7%
3Utrecht1,387,643+1.3%
4Agglomeratie ’s-Gravenhage910,352+1.5%
5Zuidoost-Noord-Brabant803,180+1.5%
6Arnhem/Nijmegen756,995+1%
7Veluwe715,792+1.3%
8Noordoost-Noord-Brabant672,514+1.2%
9West-Noord-Brabant646,718+1%
10Twente638,897+0.8%
11Zuid-Limburg597,652+0.6%
12Midden-Noord-Brabant503,798+1.3%
13Flevoland444,701+2.3%
14Agglomeratie Leiden en Bollenstreek440,312+1.3%
15Overig Groningen412,945+1.2%
16Achterhoek406,261+0.7%
17Kop van Noord-Holland385,743+1.2%
18Noord-Overijssel385,473+1.5%
19Zuidoost-Zuid-Holland379,752+1.3%
20Oost-Zuid-Holland345,570+1.5%
21Noord-Friesland326,583+1%
22Noord-Limburg289,248+1.4%
23Overig Zeeland285,292+1.3%
24Alkmaar en omgeving255,276+1.1%
25Zuidwest-Gelderland254,660+1.5%
26Het Gooi en Vechtstreek243,799+1.6%
27Midden-Limburg241,467+1%
28Delft en Westland240,445+1.7%
29Agglomeratie Haarlem234,638+1.4%
30IJmond200,749+0.6%
31Noord-Drenthe195,308+0.8%
32Zuidoost-Friesland190,093+0.7%
33Zaanstreek176,230+1.5%
34Zuidoost-Drenthe170,384+0.8%
35Zuidwest-Overijssel159,963+1.2%
36Zuidwest-Friesland142,875+0.7%
37Oost-Groningen137,736+0.8%
38Zuidwest-Drenthe136,359+1%
39Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen105,832+0.6%
40Delfzijl en omgeving45,3940%

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 1.49 million in 2023, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Delfzijl en omgeving, with 45,394 in 2023.

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