# United Kingdom and Netherlands compared United Kingdom and Netherlands side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other. Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/gbr-vs-nld Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates) Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation. ## Formation - United Kingdom: 12 July 927 — The monarchs of Britain recognise Æthelstan as king of the English - Netherlands: 1581 — The Act of Abjuration renounces allegiance to Philip II of Spain ## Economy | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | GDP | $3.69 T | 2024 | $1.21 T | 2024 | | GDP per capita | $53,246 | 2024 | $67,520 | 2024 | | GDP growth | 1.1% | 2024 | 1.1% | 2024 | | Inflation | 3.3% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 | | Trade openness | 62.8% | 2024 | 153.8% | 2024 | ## Society | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population | 69 m | 2024 | 18 m | 2024 | | Life expectancy | 81.4 yrs | 2024 | 82.0 yrs | 2024 | | Urban population | 83.2% | 2024 | 95.6% | 2024 | | Fertility rate | 1.6 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 | ## Governance | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Voice & accountability | 79.6 | 2024 | 85.8 | 2024 | | Political stability | 70.3 | 2024 | 73.2 | 2024 | | Government effectiveness | 74.4 | 2024 | 85.4 | 2024 | | Regulatory quality | 78.7 | 2024 | 82.0 | 2024 | | Rule of law | 78.8 | 2024 | 86.3 | 2024 | | Control of corruption | 78.4 | 2024 | 86.5 | 2024 | ## Health | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Health spending | 11.1% | 2024 | 10.0% | 2024 | | Physicians | 3.30 | 2023 | 3.88 | 2022 | | Under-5 mortality | 4.7 | 2024 | 3.9 | 2024 | | Measles immunisation | 89.0% | 2024 | 89.0% | 2024 | | Safe drinking water | 99.8% | 2024 | 100.0% | 2024 | ## Education | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Education spending | 5.9% | 2021 | 5.2% | 2022 | | Primary enrolment | 102.2% | 2023 | 104.2% | 2023 | | Secondary enrolment | 112.1% | 2023 | 137.5% | 2023 | | Tertiary enrolment | 80.4% | 2023 | 86.6% | 2023 | ## Technology | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | R&D spending | 2.7% | 2023 | 2.3% | 2023 | | Researchers (per million) | 4,473 | 2017 | 6,563 | 2023 | | Internet users | 95.5% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 | | Mobile subscriptions | 122 | 2024 | 129 | 2024 | | High-tech exports | 29.2% | 2024 | 23.5% | 2024 | ## Geography | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Land area | 241,930 km² | 2023 | 33,670 km² | 2023 | | Forest area | 13.3% | 2023 | 11.1% | 2023 | | Agricultural land | 70.3% | 2023 | 53.5% | 2023 | | CO₂ per capita (t) | 4.2 | 2024 | 6.6 | 2024 | | Renewable energy | 12.2% | 2021 | 12.2% | 2021 | ## Resources | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Resource rents | 0.6% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 | | Oil rents | 0.4% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 | ## Military | Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Netherlands | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Military burden | 2.3% | 2024 | 1.9% | 2024 | | Defense spending | $82 B | 2024 | $23 B | 2024 | | Armed forces | 153,000 | 2020 | 41,000 | 2020 | Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/GBR.md and https://terralore.co/country/NLD.md. ## Entangled histories (2 events) Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources. - 1672: **The Rampjaar (Disaster Year)** — France, England and allied bishops invade the Republic; the Dutch open the dikes to flood the land and halt the advance, and William III rises to power. (from the Netherlands chronicle; sources: Netherlands) - 1830: **Belgian Revolution** — The southern provinces rebel and declare independence as Belgium, dividing the United Kingdom of the Netherlands; separation is recognised in 1839. (from the Netherlands chronicle; sources: Netherlands) ## Sources - World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org - Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators - Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho - Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org - R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org - ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics - Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/GBR/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/NLD/chronicle.md. Citation template: Terralore, "United Kingdom and Netherlands compared", terralore.co/compare/gbr-vs-nld, retrieved .