AGUACYCLE
Europe & Central Asia

Netherlands

Capital: Amsterdam · High income · Pop. 18.0 million

99.96%
Safely managed drinking water
97.5%
Safely managed sanitation
621
m³ freshwater / person / yr
75%
Water stress · Medium

Source: World Bank Open Data (WHO/UNICEF JMP & FAO AQUASTAT) · drinking water 2024

In Netherlands, 99.96% of the population uses safely managed drinking water — an improved source, located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination (2024 estimate). That leaves roughly 7,197 people without safely managed drinking water at home.

Sanitation tracks closely: 97.5% use safely managed sanitation services and 97.66% have at least a basic service (2024).

Netherlands has about 621 cubic meters of renewable internal freshwater per person each year — below the ~1,000 m³ threshold widely used to define water scarcity. It withdraws the equivalent of 75% of those internal resources annually (medium water stress).

Agriculture accounts for about 3% of Netherlands's water withdrawals, the rest going to households and industry.

Common questions

How many people in Netherlands have safe drinking water?

99.96% of Netherlands's population uses safely managed drinking water (2024), per WHO/UNICEF data; about 7,197 people do not.

Does Netherlands have enough freshwater?

Netherlands has roughly 621 m³ of renewable internal freshwater per person per year, and uses about 75% of it annually (medium stress).

Elsewhere in Europe & Central Asia