Belgium vs Netherlands: Population density - Regions
Population density - Regions over time
- Belgium
- Netherlands
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 18.04 million Persons against 11.88 million Persons in Belgium, a difference of 6.16 million Persons.
That makes Netherlands's figure about 1.5 times Belgium's.
Across all 36 years both countries report, Netherlands has been ahead every year.
Belgium ranks 23rd and Netherlands ranks 22nd of 51 countries.
Netherlands has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.10 million Persons | 15.35 million Persons | 5.25 million Persons | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 10.45 million Persons | 16.23 million Persons | 5.78 million Persons | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 11.20 million Persons | 16.90 million Persons | 5.70 million Persons | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 11.69 million Persons | 17.71 million Persons | 6.02 million Persons | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population density - regions, Belgium or Netherlands?
- Netherlands, at 18.04 million Persons against 11.88 million Persons in Belgium as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population density - regions between Belgium and Netherlands?
- 6.16 million Persons, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Netherlands?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do Belgium and Netherlands rank globally for population density - regions?
- Belgium ranks 23rd and Netherlands ranks 22nd of 51 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Population density - Regions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
<p>This dataset provides indicators on population density and land areas, in large (TL2) regions and small (TL3) regions.</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Population density per land area excludes inland water bodies. This indicator measures the number of people residing in small TL3 and large TL2 regions per square kilometers. Data is collected from Eurostat (reg_dem) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites.</p> <p><strong>Definition of regions</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD_territorial-grid_TL2024.pdf">(pdf)</a> and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD%20Territorial%20correspondence%20-%20TL2024c.xlsx">(xlsx)</a>. </p> <p><strong>Use of data on small regions</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">When demographic data are analysed along with economic data using the TL3 level, it is advisable to aggregate data at the metropolitan region level when several TL3 regions are associated to the same metropolitan region. Metropolitan regions combine TL3 regions when 50% or more of the regional population live in a functionnal urban areas above 250 000 inhabitants. This approach corrects the distortions created by commuting, see the list of OECD metropolitan regions <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD%20Territorial%20correspondence%20-%20TL2024c.xlsx">(xlsx)</a> and the EU methodology <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/metropolitan-regions/background">(link)</a>.</p> <p><strong>Territorial typologies</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Small TL3 regions are categorized based on shared characteristics into regional typologies. See the demographic indicators aggregated by territorial typology at country level on the access to City typology <a href="https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_REG_DEMO%40DF_REGION_TYPE_METRO&df[ag]=OECD.CFE.EDS&df[vs]=1.0">(link)</a> and by urban-rural typology <a href="https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_REG_DEMO%40DF_REGION_TYPE_RURB&df[ag]=OECD.CFE.EDS&df[vs]=1.0">(link)</a>. </p> <p><strong>Cite this dataset</strong></p> <p>OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database <a href="http://oe.cd/geostats">http://oe.cd/geostats</a>.</p> <p><strong>Further information</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://regions-cities-atlas.oecd.org/">OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-regions-and-cities-at-a-glance-2024_f42db3bf-en.html">OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance</a></li> </ul> <p>For questions and/or comments, please email <a href="mailto:RegionStat@oecd.org">RegionStat@oecd.org</a>.</p>