Real size
How big is the Netherlands really?
37,100 km²
14,300 sq mi · 34th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Bhutan
Normal web maps draw it 2.7× too big
The Netherlands covers 37,100 km² (14,300 sq mi), about the size of Bhutan. A normal web map draws it about 2.7 times too big, because it lies far from the equator (around 52°N), and those maps stretch land more the closer it gets to the North Pole.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
- Real area
- 37,100 km²
- Size rank
- 134th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 2.7× too big
- Latitude
- 52°N
Countries about the same size
- BhutanBhutan is 1.1 times the size of the Netherlands
- SwitzerlandSwitzerland is 1.1 times the size of the Netherlands
- MoldovaThe Netherlands is 1.1 times the size of Moldova
- DenmarkDenmark is 1.1 times the size of the Netherlands
- Guinea-BissauThe Netherlands is 1.2 times the size of Guinea-Bissau
The Netherlands through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands covers about 37,100 km² (14,300 sq mi). It is the 34th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does the Netherlands look so big on maps?
- Most web maps use the Mercator projection, which keeps shapes right but stretches area more and more toward the poles. Averaged over the whole country, it draws the Netherlands about 2.7 times too big.
- Is the Netherlands bigger than Bhutan?
- No. Bhutan is about 1.1 times the size of the Netherlands.