In 2023, Zuid-Holland was the most populated province in the Netherlands, with over 3.8 million inhabitants. That was over 800,000 inhabitants more than runner-up Noord-Holland, the province in which also the capital Amsterdam is located. That year, Amsterdam’s population alone made up 863,000 of Noord-Holland’s nearly three million inhabitants.
Zuid-Holland
Zuid-Holland’s largest city is Rotterdam, home to approximately 645,000 people. The third largest city in the Netherlands, Den Haag (or The Hague, as internationals would know it) is also located in Zuid-Holland. The city, which hosts the Dutch government as well as many international organizations, reached a population of roughly 538,000 in 2019.
Utrecht and Eindhoven
Completing the top five of the largest cities in the Netherlands are Utrecht and Eindhoven, located in the provinces Utrecht and Noord-Brabant. The city of Utrecht had nearly 353,000 inhabitants in 2019, or roughly one quarter of the entire population of the province bearing the same name. Eindhoven’s population reached nearly 232,000 that year, but as Noord-Brabant boasts two more of the largest cities in the country, Eindhoven plays a less central role in its own province as Utrecht does, despite being home to both Philips and one of the most successful football clubs in Dutch history, PSV Eindhoven.
Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2023, by province
Characteristic
Number of inhabitants
South Holland
3,804,906
North Holland
2,952,622
North Brabant
2,626,210
Gelderland
2,133,708
Utrecht
1,387,643
Overijssel
1,184,333
Limburg
1,128,367
Friesland
659,551
Groningen
596,075
Drenthe
502,051
Flevoland
444,701
Zeeland
391,124
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Number of inhabitants3,804,9063,804,9062,952,6222,952,6222,626,2102,626,2102,133,7082,133,7081,387,6431,387,6431,184,3331,184,3331,128,3671,128,367659,551659,551596,075596,075502,051502,051444,701444,701391,124391,124South HollandNorth HollandNorth BrabantGelderlandUtrechtOverijsselLimburgFrieslandGroningenDrentheFlevolandZeeland
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Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (June 29, 2023). Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2023, by province [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 26, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/753196/total-number-of-inhabitants-in-the-netherlands-by-province/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. "Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2023, by province." Chart. June 29, 2023. Statista. Accessed April 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/753196/total-number-of-inhabitants-in-the-netherlands-by-province/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (2023). Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2023, by province. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/753196/total-number-of-inhabitants-in-the-netherlands-by-province/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. "Total Number of Inhabitants in The Netherlands in 2023, by Province." Statista, Statista Inc., 29 Jun 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/753196/total-number-of-inhabitants-in-the-netherlands-by-province/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2023, by province Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/753196/total-number-of-inhabitants-in-the-netherlands-by-province/ (last visited April 26, 2025)
Total number of inhabitants in the Netherlands in 2023, by province [Graph], Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, June 29, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/753196/total-number-of-inhabitants-in-the-netherlands-by-province/
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