Land use in Netherlands
Netherlands: Land use was 1.04 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.04 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
114th
of 224 countries
All-time high
1.16 million hectares
in 2004
All-time low
841,400 hectares
in 1973
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Netherlands, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Netherlands stood at 1.04 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Netherlands peaked at 1.16 million hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 841,400 hectares, in 1973.
Netherlands ranks 114th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.03 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.00 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 988,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 977,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 968,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 955,800 hectares | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 930,700 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 920,900 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 899,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1970 | 875,200 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 855,900 hectares | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 849,100 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 841,400 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 844,400 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 846,500 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 849,900 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 869,400 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 861,700 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 865,100 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 877,400 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 878,800 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 884,300 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 865,900 hectares | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 873,800 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 893,300 hectares | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 910,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 924,500 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 934,800 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 938,500 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 956,400 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 925,300 hectares | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 934,200 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 937,300 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 938,300 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 954,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 961,100 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 1.01 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 963,900 hectares | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 1.05 million hectares | +8.6% |
| 2000 | 1.06 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.04 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.05 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 1.16 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.14 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 1.10 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.09 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 1.10 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.09 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.06 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.04 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 1.05 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.07 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 1.08 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.08 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.07 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 1.07 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 1.06 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.05 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.04 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 1.04 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 1.04 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 1.04 million hectares | +0.3% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 1.04 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 3.4× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 1.04 million hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 75% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 963,156 hectares | 899,000 hectares | 1.03 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 855,860 hectares | 841,400 hectares | 875,200 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 898,130 hectares | 865,900 hectares | 938,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 962,210 hectares | 925,300 hectares | 1.05 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.10 million hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 1.16 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.06 million hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 1.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.04 million hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More environment data for Netherlands
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2541 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) -6.03 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Netherlands?
- Land use in Netherlands was 1.04 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 1.16 million hectares in 2004.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 841,400 hectares in 1973.
- How does Netherlands rank for land use?
- Netherlands ranks 114th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).