Data / Rankings / Population / Regions of Netherlands (NUTS 2)

Regions of Netherlands (NUTS 2) by population

Zuid-Holland had the highest population of 12 regions in 2022, at 3.75 million. Zeeland had the lowest, at 386,767. The median was 1.15 million and the figure for the Netherlands was 17.59 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest3,753,944Zuid-Holland
Lowest386,767Zeeland
Median1,145,10612 regions
Netherlands17,590,672History

All regions, 2022

CSVChart (SVG)

Zuid-HollandZuid-Holland: 3,753,944 persons3,753,944Noord-HollandNoord-Holland: 2,909,827 persons2,909,827Noord-BrabantNoord-Brabant: 2,592,874 persons2,592,874GelderlandGelderland: 2,110,472 persons2,110,472UtrechtUtrecht: 1,369,873 persons1,369,873OverijsselOverijssel: 1,171,910 persons1,171,910Limburg (NL)Limburg (NL): 1,118,302 persons1,118,302Friesland (NL)Friesland (NL): 654,019 persons654,019GroningenGroningen: 590,170 persons590,170DrentheDrenthe: 497,743 persons497,743FlevolandFlevoland: 434,771 persons434,771ZeelandZeeland: 386,767 persons386,767
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2022
persons		Change on 2021
1Zuid-Holland3,753,944+0.7%
2Noord-Holland2,909,827+0.7%
3Noord-Brabant2,592,874+0.7%
4Gelderland2,110,472+0.7%
5Utrecht1,369,873+0.6%
6Overijssel1,171,910+0.5%
7Limburg (NL)1,118,302+0.2%
8Friesland (NL)654,019+0.4%
9Groningen590,170+0.6%
10Drenthe497,743+0.6%
11Flevoland434,771+1.5%
12Zeeland386,767+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 regions 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 region has the highest population?

Zuid-Holland, with 3.75 million in 2022, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Zeeland, with 386,767 in 2022.

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

Regions of Netherlands (NUTS 2): more rankings