Netherlands - Population, total

The value for Population, total in Netherlands was 17,441,500 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 60 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 17,441,500 in 2020 and a minimum value of 11,486,630 in 1960.

Definition: Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Popu

See also:

Year Value
1960 11,486,630
1961 11,638,710
1962 11,805,690
1963 11,965,970
1964 12,127,120
1965 12,294,730
1966 12,456,250
1967 12,598,200
1968 12,729,720
1969 12,877,980
1970 13,038,530
1971 13,194,500
1972 13,328,590
1973 13,439,320
1974 13,545,060
1975 13,666,340
1976 13,774,040
1977 13,856,190
1978 13,941,700
1979 14,038,270
1980 14,149,800
1981 14,247,210
1982 14,312,690
1983 14,367,070
1984 14,424,210
1985 14,491,630
1986 14,572,280
1987 14,665,040
1988 14,760,090
1989 14,848,910
1990 14,951,510
1991 15,069,800
1992 15,184,170
1993 15,290,370
1994 15,382,840
1995 15,459,010
1996 15,530,500
1997 15,610,650
1998 15,707,210
1999 15,812,090
2000 15,925,510
2001 16,046,180
2002 16,148,930
2003 16,225,300
2004 16,281,780
2005 16,319,870
2006 16,346,100
2007 16,381,700
2008 16,445,590
2009 16,530,390
2010 16,615,390
2011 16,693,070
2012 16,754,960
2013 16,804,430
2014 16,865,010
2015 16,939,920
2016 17,030,310
2017 17,131,300
2018 17,231,620
2019 17,344,870
2020 17,441,500

Development Relevance: Increases in human population, whether as a result of immigration or more births than deaths, can impact natural resources and social infrastructure. This can place pressure on a country's sustainability. A significant growth in population will negatively impact the availability of land for agricultural production, and will aggravate demand for food, energy, water, social services, and infrastructure. On the other hand, decreasing population size - a result of fewer births than deaths, and people moving out of a country - can impact a government's commitment to maintain services and infrastructure.

Limitations and Exceptions: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack (i) reliable recent census data, and (ii) pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data, are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in both the model and the data. In the UN estimates the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used; therefore interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. Because future trends cannot be known with certainty, population projections have a wide range of uncertainty.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Population estimates are usually based on national population censuses. Estimates for the years before and after the census are interpolations or extrapolations based on demographic models. Errors and undercounting occur even in high-income countries. In developing countries errors may be substantial because of limits in the transport, communications, and other resources required to conduct and analyze a full census. The quality and reliability of official demographic data are also affected by public trust in the government, government commitment to full and accurate enumeration, confidentiality and protection against misuse of census data, and census agencies' independence from political influence. Moreover, comparability of population indicators is limited by differences in the concepts, definitions, collection procedures, and estimation methods used by national statistical agencies and other organizations that collect the data. The currentness of a census and the availability of complementary data from surveys or registration systems are objective ways to judge demographic data quality. Some European countries' registration systems offer complete information on population in the absence of a census. The United Nations Statistics Division monitors the completeness of vital registration systems. Some developing countries have made progress over the last 60 years, but others still have deficiencies in civil registration systems. International migration is the only other factor besides birth and death rates that directly determines a country's population growth. Estimating migration is difficult. At any time many people are located outside their home country as tourists, workers, or refugees or for other reasons. Standards for the duration and purpose of international moves that qualify as migration vary, and estimates require information on flows into and out of countries that is difficult to collect. Population projections, starting from a base year are projected forward using assumptions of mortality, fertility, and migration by age and sex through 2050, based on the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects database medium variant.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Population