Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Netherlands

Netherlands: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 7.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
7.7%
World rank
171st
of 179 countries
All-time high
9.5%
in 1950
All-time low
7.3%
in 2000
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Netherlands, 1950–2020

02468101950198520201950: 9.5 %1955: 9.3 %1960: 9.1 %1965: 8.8 %1970: 8.4 %1975: 8.4 %1980: 7.8 %1985: 7.3 %1990: 7.3 %1995: 7.5 %2000: 7.3 %2005: 7.3 %2010: 7.3 %2015: 7.5 %2020: 7.7 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Netherlands recorded 7.7% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Netherlands peaked at 9.5% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2000.

That places Netherlands 171st out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 9.4% 9.3% 9.5% 2
1960s 8.9% 8.8% 9.1% 2
1970s 8.4% 8.4% 8.4% 2
1980s 7.6% 7.3% 7.8% 2
1990s 7.4% 7.3% 7.5% 2
2000s 7.3% 7.3% 7.3% 2
2010s 7.4% 7.3% 7.5% 2
2020s 7.7% 7.7% 7.7% 1

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 168 Laos 8.2% compare
  2. 169 Poland 8.1% compare
  3. 170 Ethiopia 7.7% compare
  4. 172 Nigeria 7.0% compare
  5. 173 Malawi 6.7% compare
  6. 174 South Sudan 6.2% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Netherlands?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Netherlands was 7.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 1950.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2000.
How does Netherlands rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Netherlands ranks 171st out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Netherlands data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.