Netherlands

parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

name: Amsterdam geographic coordinates: 52 21 N, 4 55 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October time zone note: time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, for the constituent countries in the Caribbean, the time difference is UTC-4 etymology: the name is derived from the Dutch name of the local river, the Amstel, and the Dutch word dam , which has the same meaning in English; the river name is said to derive from the Germanic words ama (current) and stelle (place) note: The Hague is the seat of government

chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013) head of government: Caretaker Prime Minister Dick SCHOOF (since 3 June 2025) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister; deputy prime ministers are also appointed by the monarch note: Prime Minister Dick SCHOOF resigned on 3 June 2025 after a party withdrew from his governing coalition, but he will continue in a caretaker capacity until new elections are held, probably in the fall of 2025

legislature name: States General (Staten-Generaal) legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (consists of 41 judges: the president, 6 vice presidents, 31 justices, and 3 justices in exceptional service); the court is divided into criminal, civil, tax, and ombuds chambers judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the monarch from a list provided by the House of Representatives of the States General; justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts; Netherlands Commercial Court

history: many previous to adoption of the "Basic Law of the Kingdom of the Netherlands" on 24 August 1815; revised 8 times, the latest in 1983 amendment process: proposed as an Act of Parliament by or on behalf of the king or by the Second Chamber of the States General; the Second Chamber is dissolved after its first reading of the Act; passage requires a second reading by both the First Chamber and the newly elected Second Chamber, followed by at least two-thirds majority vote of both chambers, and ratification by the king

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

2.5% of GDP (2025 est.) 2% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

Netherlands (Dutch) Armed Forces (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht): Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Constabulary) (2025) note 1: the Netherlands Coast Guard and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard are civilian in nature but managed by the Royal Netherlands Navy note 2: the core missions of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee are border security, security and surveillance, and international and military police tasks note 3: the Netherlands (or National) Police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of Justice and Security, which oversees law enforcement organizations, as do the justice ministries in Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten

17 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; the military is an all-volunteer force; conscription remains in place, but the requirement to show up for compulsory military service was suspended in 1997 (2025)

the Dutch military is charged with the three core tasks of defending the country s national territory and that of its allies, enforcing the national and international rule of law, and providing assistance during disasters and other crises; it also has some domestic security duties, including in the Dutch Caribbean territories; the military operates globally but rarely carries out its operations independently, focusing instead on working through NATO and bilaterally with regional partners; it has particularly close ties with Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the UK, including some combined military units and staffs the Netherlands has been a member of NATO since its founding in 1949, and the Dutch military is involved in NATO missions and operations with air, ground, and naval forces, including air policing missions over the Benelux countries and Eastern Europe, NATO s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, and several NATO naval flotillas, as well as standby units for NATO s rapid response force; the military has previously deployed forces to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo and also contributes to EU- and UN-led missions; Royal Netherlands Marechaussee detachments have been included in international police units deployed by NATO (2025)

350 Lithuania (NATO); 150 Romania (NATO); approximately 800 deployed to Dutch territories in the Caribbean (2025) note: the Netherlands contributes naval assets to support freedom of the sea missions in such places as the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz; it also assists with monitoring the airspace of the eastern flank of NATO territory by means of fighter aircraft and provides some ground personnel to a variety of other NATO, UN, and EU security missions

$1.276 trillion (2024 est.) $1.263 trillion (2023 est.) $1.263 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$70,900 (2024 est.) $70,700 (2023 est.) $71,300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1% (2024 est.) 0.1% (2023 est.) 5% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3.3% (2024 est.) 3.8% (2023 est.) 10% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

56.5% of GDP (2017 est.) note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

$1.032 trillion (2024 est.) $1.022 trillion (2023 est.) $1.007 trillion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$884.154 billion (2024 est.) $893.132 billion (2023 est.) $915.294 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3.6% (2024 est.) 3.6% (2023 est.) 3.6% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $451.11 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $455.334 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

milk, sugar beets, potatoes, onions, pork, wheat, chicken, tomatoes, carrots/turnips, beef (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 17,833,885 (2025 est.) male: 8,874,366 female: 8,959,519

0.3% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 15.2% (male 1,384,142/female 1,312,455) 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 5,750,034/female 5,640,691) 65 years and over: 20.7% (2024 est.) (male 1,709,924/female 1,975,132)

10.68 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 81.9 years (2024 est.) male: 80.3 years female: 83.5 years

urban population: 93.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Dutch 75.4%, EU (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turkish 2.4%, Moroccan 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesian 2%, other 9.3% (2021 est.)

Dutch (official), Frisian (official in Fryslan province) major-language sample(s): Het Wereld Feitenboek, een onmisbare bron van informatie. (Dutch) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: Frisian, Low Saxon, Limburgish, Romani, and Yiddish have protected status; Dutch is the official language of the three special municipalities of the Caribbean Netherlands; English is a recognized regional language on Sint Eustatius and Saba; Papiamento is a recognized regional language on Bonaire

Roman Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.8% (includes Dutch Reformed, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, Calvinist), Muslim 5%, other 5.9% (includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish), none 54.1% (2019 est.)

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

refugees: 310,239 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 4,428 (2024 est.)

44 (2025) note: Includes 3 airports in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

total: 3,055 km (2020) 2,310 km electrified

total: 1,187 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 11, container ship 36, general cargo 521, oil tanker 27, other 592

total subscriptions: 23.4 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 129 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 97% (2023 est.)