General

The population of the Netherlands in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 16,149,000, which placed it as number 58 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 14% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 19% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 98 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000-2005 is 0.50%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 16,791,000. The population density in 2002 was 395 per sq km (1,023 per sq mi). Over 45% of the population lives in the three most densely populated provinces: Utrecht, North Holland and South Holland.

It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 89% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Amsterdam, and its surrounding metropolitan area, had a population of 1,137,000 in that year. The Rotterdam metropolitan area had 1,078,000 inhabitants. Other major cities include The Hague, 444,242; Utrecht, 231,231; Eindhoven, 192,895; Groningen, 168,702; Tilburg, 158,846; and Haarlem, 149,474. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000-2005 was 0.3%.

Linguistic conformity to Dutch, the official language, is complete except in Friesland, where Frisian is spoken in places. After the Netherlands obtained independence in the late 16th century, it became largely Protestant. Now, however, Roman Catholics, concentrated in the southern provinces, make up the largest religious group (31%), while about 20% are Protestant. Muslims are a small but growing minority; some 41% of the population claims no religious affiliation. The archbishop of Utrecht is the Roman Catholic primate of the Netherlands.

Overview

Population:
16,570,613 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 1,505,931/female 1,436,532)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,683,877/female 5,557,745)
65 years and over: 14.4% (male 1,015,731/female 1,370,797) (2007 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.7 years
male: 38.9 years
female: 40.5 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.464% (2007 est.)

Birth rate:
10.7 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:
8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate:
2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.023 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.741 male(s)/female
total population: 0.981 male(s)/female (2007 est.)