# Indonesia and Netherlands compared

Indonesia and Netherlands side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 7 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/idn-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

- Indonesia: 17 August 1945 — Sukarno and Hatta proclaim Indonesian independence
- Netherlands: 1581 — The Act of Abjuration renounces allegiance to Philip II of Spain

## Economy

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $1.40 T | 2024 | $1.21 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $4,925 | 2024 | $67,520 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 5.0% | 2024 | 1.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.2% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 42.6% | 2024 | 153.8% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 283 m | 2024 | 18 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 71.3 yrs | 2024 | 82.0 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 58.8% | 2024 | 95.6% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.1 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 53.8 | 2024 | 85.8 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 55.5 | 2024 | 73.2 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 54.8 | 2024 | 85.4 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 56.8 | 2024 | 82.0 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 53.4 | 2024 | 86.3 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 36.8 | 2024 | 86.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 2.7% | 2023 | 10.0% | 2024 |
| Physicians | 0.52 | 2023 | 3.88 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 17.7 | 2024 | 3.9 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 85.0% | 2024 | 89.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 30.5% | 2024 | 100.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 96.0% | 2020 | — | — |
| Education spending | 1.3% | 2023 | 5.2% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 100.4% | 2025 | 104.2% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 97.2% | 2025 | 137.5% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 44.9% | 2023 | 86.6% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.3% | 2020 | 2.3% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 395 | 2020 | 6,563 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 72.8% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 123 | 2024 | 129 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 8.7% | 2024 | 23.5% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,892,555 km² | 2023 | 33,670 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 47.7% | 2023 | 11.1% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 29.1% | 2023 | 53.5% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 2.9 | 2024 | 6.6 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 20.2% | 2021 | 12.2% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 5.2% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.8% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 1.9% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.4% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 99.4% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | 710 kt | 2025 | — | — |
| Gold (mined) | 90 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Cobalt (mined) | 44.0 kt | 2025 | — | — |
| Nickel (mined) | 2.6 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Bauxite | 10 Mt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | Indonesia | Observed | Netherlands | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.8% | 2024 | 1.9% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $11 B | 2024 | $23 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 676,000 | 2020 | 41,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/IDN.md and https://terralore.co/country/NLD.md.

## Entangled histories (7 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.

- 20 Mar 1602: **Founding of the Dutch East India Company (VOC)** — The Dutch Republic charters the VOC with sweeping powers to trade, wage war and govern, launching nearly two centuries of company rule in the Indies. (from the Indonesia chronicle; sources: Dutch East India Company)
- 31 Dec 1799: **Dissolution of the VOC** — Bankrupt after decades of war, debt and corruption, the VOC is dissolved and its possessions pass to the Dutch state, ushering in direct colonial rule. (from the Indonesia chronicle; sources: Dutch East India Company)
- 1830: **The Cultivation System** — The Dutch impose the Cultuurstelsel, forcing Javanese peasants to grow export crops for the colonial state; it enriches the Netherlands while causing widespread hardship and local famines. (from the Indonesia chronicle; sources: History of Indonesia (Islamic influence; Dutch rule); Indonesian National Awakening)
- 1942: **Japanese occupation of the Indies** — Japan conquers the Dutch East Indies, ending Dutch rule; its occupation brings forced labour and hardship but also mobilises and arms Indonesian nationalists. (from the Indonesia chronicle; sources: Indonesia (toward independence; Japanese occupation; after Suharto); Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies)
- 1945–1949: **The Indonesian National Revolution** — Indonesians wage a four-year armed and diplomatic struggle against Dutch attempts to reimpose colonial rule, enduring two major Dutch offensives and heavy losses. (from the Indonesia chronicle; sources: Indonesia Regains Its Independence (Research Starters))
- 27 Dec 1949: **Indonesian independence** — After a violent four-year war, the Netherlands transfers sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies to the Republic of Indonesia. (from the Netherlands chronicle; sources: Netherlands; Independence, Decolonization, Violence and War in Indonesia, 1945–1950)
- 27 Dec 1949: **Recognition of sovereignty** — Following the Round Table Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands formally transfers sovereignty and recognises the independence of Indonesia. (from the Indonesia chronicle; sources: Indonesia Regains Its Independence (Research Starters); Proclamation of Indonesian Independence)

## 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
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- 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/IDN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/NLD/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Indonesia and Netherlands compared", terralore.co/compare/idn-vs-nld, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.