Netherlands (Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Netherlands Kingdom of the Netherlands
Status	Independent State
Capital	Amsterdam (administrative) and The Hague (legislative/judicial)
Land Area	33 730km21
Location	Europe
Population	16.7m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	81.71yrs (2017)3
GNI	$46 326 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	NL, NLD, 5285
Internet Domain	.nl6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+318

1. Overview
2. Netherlands National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

“The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Discover the many secrets of this gently beautiful country and its masterpieces, canal towns and windmills. Revel in the welcoming yet wry culture at a cafe, then bike past fields of tulips. Great Dutch artists Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh have spanned the centuries, and touring the Netherlands you´ll see why. Discover clichés such as tulips and windmills, or stroll canals in the midst of 17th-century splendour in beautiful small towns such as Leiden and Delft. Of course, enticing Amsterdam´s phenomenal and diverse nightlife is world-famous, from its throbbing clubs to quaint brown cafes.

The locals live on bicycles and you can too. Almost every train station has a shop to rent a bike - you´ll soon be off on the ubiquitous bike paths, wherever your mood takes you.

Finally there´s the Dutch themselves. Warm, friendly and funny, you´ll have a hard time being alone in a cafe as someone will soon strike up a conversation, and usually in English. Revel in Amsterdam, don´t miss exquisite Maastricht or pulsing Rotterdam, and pick a passel of small towns to add contrast. It´s a very big small country.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Netherlands National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
4	Germany	4
5	Denmark	5
6	Singapore	5
7	Netherlands	7
8	Ireland	8
9	Iceland	9
10	Canada	10
11	USA	10
12	Hong Kong	12
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
4	Netherlands	82.0
5	Norway	81.9
6	Switzerland	81.4
7	Germany	80.6
8	New Zealand	80.4
9	Iceland	80.3
10	Belgium	80.3
11	Ireland	79.4
12	Canada	79.2
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #Netherlands #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
175	Austria	40.5
176	Greece	41.3
177	Spain	41.4
178	Netherlands	41.9
179	Slovenia	42.7
180	Finland	43.3
181	Hong Kong	43.7
182	Portugal	44.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
95	Singapore	6.1%
96	Guatemala	6.1%
97	Brunei	6.0%
98	Netherlands	6.0%
99	Italy	5.8%
100	Benin	5.8%
101	Laos	5.7%
102	Turkey	5.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
33	Morocco	2.20
34	Brazil	1.80
35	Guyana	2.21
36	Netherlands	1.79
37	Vietnam	1.77
38	Lebanon	1.77
39	Mexico	2.25
40	Sri Lanka	2.26
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
49	Barbados	10.9%
50	France	10.7%
51	Costa Rica	10.5%
52	Netherlands	10.5%
53	Armenia	10.5%
54	Libya	10.4%
55	Greece	10.1%
56	Norway	10.0%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
15	Chile	81.96
16	Luxembourg	81.88
17	Norway	81.71
18	Netherlands	81.71
19	Austria	81.58
20	Andorra	81.46
21	Portugal	81.18
22	Germany	81.09
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
58	Angola	20.2m
59	Burkina Faso	17.5m
60	Chile	17.4m
61	Netherlands	16.7m
62	Niger	16.6m
63	Kazakhstan	16.4m
64	Mali	16.3m
65	Malawi	15.9m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

The Netherlands's population is predicted to rise to 17.31 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.79. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#christianity #equality #freedom #human_rights #islam #Netherlands #politics #tolerance

When it comes to ensuring human rights and freedom, The Netherlands leads the world, setting excellent examples. The Netherlands does the best in LGBT equality₁₈. It does the second-best in supporting press freedom₁₉. It comes in the best 20 in opposing gender inequality₂₀ (one of the best in Europe), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁, fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₂ (one of the best in Europe), fighting corruption₂₃, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄ and in the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₅. And finally, it does better than average in eliminating modern slavery₂₆, its Global Peace Index rating₂₇ and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₈ (but low for Europe). The Netherlands became the first country in the world to remove restrictions on homosexual marriage, divorce and adoption rights, in the face of opposition from Christian and Muslim organisations₂₉. Human Rights Watch's 2017 report states that the Netherlands's support of women's rights at home and internationally has been notable₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Netherlands

5. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #Netherlands #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
24	Ecuador	24
25	Madagascar	25
26	Sri Lanka	26
27	Netherlands	27
28	Mongolia	28
29	Rwanda	29
30	Paraguay	30
31	Jordan	31
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
4	Sweden	4
5	Malta	5
6	Australia	6
7	Norway	7
8	Finland	8
9	Denmark	9
10	Switzerland	10
11	Canada	11
12	UK	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)27
Pos.		Lower is better27
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
25	Spain	1.55
26	Slovakia	1.59
27	Taiwan	1.60
28	Netherlands	1.61
29	UK	1.61
30	Chile	1.62
31	Botswana	1.62
32	Romania	1.63
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₇. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₇ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₇.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)32
Pos.		Lower is better Score32
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
71	Haiti	2.18
72	Kosovo	2.26
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
75	Ecuador	2.46
76	Kuwait	2.49
77	Malaysia	2.50
78	Brazil	2.53
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Disbelief In God (2007)33
Pos.		Higher is better %33
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
6	Denmark	48
7	France	44
8	Belgium	43
9	Netherlands	42
10	Germany	42
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	50.6%
Muslim	6%
Hindu	0.5%
Buddhist	0.2%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jew	0.2%
Unaffiliated	42.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 30%, Protestant 20% (Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other Protestant 3%), Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)₃₅.

The Netherlands has a long history of religious tolerance₃₆, for example, it was a safe haven for Jewish refugees from Christian persecution during the Spanish Inquisition in the 16th century₃₇. But the murder of Theo van Gogh "by a Muslim extremist in November 2004 led to a sharp reversal of public opinion, turning against immigration in general and Muslim immigration in particular"₃₆.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₃₈, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Netherlands states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. However, it is a crime to engage in public speech that incites religious hatred. Article 137c of the Dutch Penal Code penalizes defamation of groups "because of their race, religion or convictions, their heterosexual or homosexual orientation or physical, psychological or mental disability..."

Article 137d criminalizes inciting "hatred or discrimination against persons or violence against person or property on the grounds of their race, religion or beliefs, their gender, their heterosexual or homosexual orientation or their physical, psychological or mental disability..." Article 429bis criminalizes display of "scornful blasphemy for insulting religious feelings" along public roads. Fines are to be levied, with prison for repeat offenders.”

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₃₉

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#internet #it_security #Netherlands #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)40
Pos.		Higher is better40
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
6	Denmark	96%
7	Liechtenstein	96%
8	Luxembourg	95%
9	Netherlands	94%
10	Sweden	93%
11	Monaco	93%
12	UK	93%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)41
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio41
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
20	Trinidad & Tobago	14.5
21	Finland	14.1
22	Brazil	13.9
23	Netherlands	10.5
24	Czechia	10.1
25	New Zealand	9.7
26	Romania	8.7
27	Austria	7.5
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)42
Pos.		Lower is better42
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
65	Nepal	1.45
66	Afghanistan	1.45
67	Germany	1.46
68	Netherlands	1.47
69	Rwanda	1.50
70	Tanzania	1.50
71	Maldives	1.57
72	China	1.59
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #genetics #health #mental_health #Netherlands #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

The Netherlands does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The Netherlands comes in the best 20 in its adolescent birth rate₂₀ (one of the lowest in Europe) and in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁. It does better than average in number of organ donors₄₃ (but low for Europe). The Netherlands does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its suicide rate₄₄ (still good for Europe), the prevalence of overweight adults₄₅, its immunizations take-up₄₆, its alcohol consumption rate₄₇ (still good for Europe) and in its smoking rate₄₈ (still low for Europe). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)47
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita47
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
128	Trinidad & Tobago	8.4
129	Vietnam	8.4
130	Ukraine	8.6
131	Netherlands	8.7
132	Croatia	8.9
133	Cameroon	8.9
134	Canada	8.9
135	Rwanda	9.0
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₉ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₅₀ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₅₁ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₅₂. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₅₃. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)43
Pos.		Higher is better pmp43
1	Spain	46.9054
2	Portugal	34.0154
3	Belgium	33.6254
	...
27	Slovakia	15.80
28	New Zealand	15.2354
29	Poland	14.5754
30	Netherlands	14.41
31	Lithuania	14.30
32	Estonia	13.85
33	Argentina	13.6554
34	Cuba	12.35
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
6	Switzerland	6
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)45
Pos.		Lower is better %45
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
115	Peru	57.5
116	Albania	57.7
117	Romania	57.7
118	Netherlands	57.8
119	Latvia	57.8
120	Finland	57.9
121	Macedonia	58.1
122	Nicaragua	58.2
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₅. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₆. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₆ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₇ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₈. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₉. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₆₀.

Smoking Rates (2014)48
Pos.		Lower is better48
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
144	Georgia	1 378
145	Cuba	1 392
146	Saudi Arabia	1 395
147	Netherlands	1 396
148	Poland	1 396
149	Italy	1 443
150	Germany	1 480
151	Bulgaria	1 505
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)44
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k44
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
44	Australia	16.4
45	El Salvador	16.5
46	Kyrgyzstan	17.7
47	Netherlands	18.6
48	Luxembourg	19.3
49	Portugal	19.6
50	Singapore	20.6
51	India	20.8
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#health #Netherlands #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)20
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100020
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
6	Singapore	3.8
7	Netherlands	4.0
8	Denmark	4.0
9	Japan	4.1
10	Cyprus	5.0
11	Sweden	5.7
12	Norway	5.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)46
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %46
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
128	Costa Rica	88.5
129	Colombia	88.4
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
134	Sierra Leone	87.7
135	Suriname	87.2
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries