Demographics of the Netherlands

Population of Netherlands (1900-2000) in millions.
Population	17,000,000 (64th)
Density	501 per km² (30th)
Growth rate	0.39% (189th)
Birth rate	10.3 births/1,000 (161st)
Death rate	8.78 deaths/1,000 (77th)
Life expectancy	79.55 years (34th)
• male	76.94 years
• female	82.30 years
Fertility rate	1.653 children/woman (2015)
0–14 years	17.4%
15–64 years	67.7%
65 and over	14.9%
Total	0.98 male/female
At birth	1.05 male/female
Under 15	1.05 male/female
15–64 years	1.02 male/female
65 and over	0.75 male/female
Nationality	Dutch
Major ethnic	Dutch 79.3%
Minor ethnic	EU 6.3% Turks 2.4% Indonesian Dutch 2.3% Moroccans 2.2% Surinamese 2.1% Caribbeans 0.9% Chinese 0.3% Iraqis 0.3% Other 3.9%
Official	Dutch, Frisian

This article is about the demographic of the Netherlands, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the population, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The Netherlands is the 64th most populated country in the world, and as of March 21, 2016, it has a population of 17,000,000.

Between 1900 and 1950 the population doubled from 5.1 to 10.0 million people. From 1951 to 2000 the population increased from 10.0 to 15.9 million people, increasing by a smaller proportion.

The Netherlands is the twenty-seventh most densely populated country in the world. The 17,000,000 Dutch men, women and children are concentrated on an area of 41,526 km²; this means that the country has a population density of 409 per km², or over 502 per km² if only the land area, 33,883 km², is counted. If only the land area of the provinces, 33,718 km², is counted, 500 inhabitants/km² were reached in the first half of 2014 or possibly in the last few days of 2013.

Bangladesh and South Korea are larger and more densely populated (hence have a larger population), and only Taiwan is smaller and has a larger population (hence a larger population density). There are 21 more countries (12 independent ones and 9 dependent territories) with a larger population density, but they all have a smaller population (hence a smaller area). If the water area is not counted then Taiwan is larger, and there are 16 more countries (9 independent ones and 7 dependent territories) with a larger population density.

As a result of these demographic characteristics the Netherlands has had to plan its land use strictly. Since 1946 the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment has been occupied with the national coordination of land use. Because of its high population density the Netherlands has also reclaimed land from the sea by poldering. Between 1927 and 1968 an entire province, Flevoland was created. It currently (2015) houses more than 400,000 people. Because of these policies, the Dutch have been able to combine high levels of population density with extremely high levels of agricultural production.