List of municipalities of the Netherlands


As of January 2020, there are 355 municipalities plus 3 special municipalities in the Netherlands. The latter is the status of three of the six island territories that make up the Dutch Caribbean. Municipalities are the second-level administrative division, or public bodies, in the Netherlands and are subdivisions of their respective provinces. Their duties are delegated to them by the central government and they are ruled by a municipal council that is elected every four years. Municipal mergers have reduced the total number of municipalities by two-thirds since the first official boundaries were created in the mid 19th century. Municipalities themselves are informally subdivided into districts and neighbourhoods for administrative and statistical purposes.
These municipalities come in a wide range of sizes, Westervoort is the smallest with a land area of and Súdwest-Fryslân the largest with a land area of. Schiermonnikoog is both the least populated and the least densely populated municipality at. Amsterdam has the highest population with 872,757 residents, whereas The Hague is the most densely populated with a density of.

Municipal status

As a second level administrative division municipalities are the third tier of public administration in the Netherlands after the central government and the provinces. The Netherlands is a decentralized unitary state, which means that the central government is supreme and delegates certain tasks to lower levels of government by law. The different levels do, however, make work agreements, which give municipalities a certain degree of independence in their policy decisions. Municipalities are responsible for a wide variety of public services, which include land-use planning, public housing, management and maintenance of local roads, waste management and social security. After the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010 three special municipalities were formed. These municipalities function the same as regular municipalities and are grouped together as the Caribbean Netherlands and are not part of a province.
The municipalities are governed by both a board of mayor and aldermen and a municipal council. The municipal council, which is titled island council in the special municipalities, is elected every four years. The number of members in the council ranges from nine members for the smallest municipalities to forty-five members for the largest. It is the highest administrative body in the municipality and controls public policy. The executive power lies with the executive board, which consists of a mayor, titled lieutenant governor in the special municipalities, and multiple aldermen, titled island deputies in the special municipalities. The mayor is appointed for six years at a time by the crown and the alderman are elected by the municipal council, typically after each municipal election. The mayor is responsible for public order and is the first in command during emergencies, all other tasks are distributed freely between mayor and aldermen. The exact portfolio for each person differs between each municipality.
Official municipal boundaries were first drawn up in 1832 in the Netherlands after a cadastre was formed. The Municipalities Act of 1851, written by prime minister Thorbecke, led to the disappearance of small municipalities. Throughout the years, less populous municipalities have been merged. They were either added to the larger neighbouring cities or multiple smaller municipalities merged into a larger new municipality with a new name. The number of municipalities reduced from 1,209 in 1850 to 537 in 2000; as of 2019 there are 355 municipalities. During this time, multiple mergers occurred simultaneously in large parts of individual provinces; the municipal boundaries were basically redrawn in these regions. In the 19th and large parts of the 20th century, municipal mergers were forced by the central government. This policy changed in the end of the 20th century; local support for the merger is now a large part of the decision-making process. The larger, merged municipalities are intended to handle an increasing workload because more public services are delegated from higher levels of government to the municipalities. Another reason for municipal mergers is the assumption that larger municipalities are more efficient in performing their tasks than smaller ones.
Municipalities have the right to decentralize themselves and form submunicipalities as an additional level of government. This right and the submunicipalities will cease to exist in the near future to reduce the number of levels of government. Only Amsterdam, where the districts are called stadsdelen, and Rotterdam, where the districts are called deelgemeenten, consist of such formal subdivisions. The Hague, Almere, Breda, Eindhoven, Enschede, Groningen, Nijmegen, Tilburg, and Utrecht have instituted stadsdelen as well, although they do not have the same legal submunicipal status. For administrative use by municipalities and data collection by Statistics Netherlands all municipalities are subdivided into districts, which in turn are subdivided into neighbourhoods. These subdivisions have, in contrast to the submunicipalities, no formal status.

Municipalities

Regular municipalities


ProvinceMunici-
palities
Drenthe12
Flevoland6
Friesland18
Gelderland51
Groningen12
Limburg31
North Brabant62
North Holland47
Overijssel25
South Holland52
Utrecht26
Zeeland13
Total355


MunicipalityCBS codeProvincePopulationPopulation densityLand areaMap
1680Drenthe25445
0358North Holland31859
0197Gelderland27121
0059Friesland27843
0482South Holland20165
0613South Holland25590
0361North Holland109436
0141Overijssel73107
0034Flevoland211893
0484South Holland111897
1723North Brabant10203
1959North Brabant55967
0060Friesland3716
0307Utrecht157276
0362North Holland91675
0363North Holland872757
0200Gelderland163818
0003Groningen11642
0202Gelderland161348
0106Drenthe68599
0743North Brabant16721
0744North Brabant6859
0308Utrecht24868
0489South Holland48714
0203Gelderland59082
0888Limburg15865
1954Limburg35938
0370North Holland10022
0889Limburg13482
1945Gelderland34992
1724North Brabant18635
0893Limburg13085
0373North Holland29839
0748North Brabant67496
1859Gelderland43747
1721North Brabant31240
0753North Brabant29988
0209Gelderland25890
0375North Holland41626
1728North Brabant20390
0376North Holland11540
0377North Holland23571
1901South Holland34872
0755North Brabant10785
1681Drenthe25559
0147Overijssel23312
0654Zeeland22739
0756North Brabant29365
0757North Brabant30801
0758North Brabant184069
0501South Holland17271
1876Gelderland36055
0213Gelderland20726
0899Limburg27821
0312Utrecht15191
0313Utrecht21866
0214Gelderland26749
0502South Holland67122
0383North Holland35986
0109Drenthe35297
1706North Brabant21138
1684North Brabant25130
0216Gelderland28955
0148Overijssel28587
1891Friesland18922
0310Utrecht43137
1940Friesland51564
0736Utrecht44456
1690Drenthe24330
0503South Holland103595
0010Groningen24678
0400North Holland56296
0762North Brabant32471
0150Overijssel100719
0384North Holland30780
1774Overijssel26461
0221Gelderland11077
0222Gelderland58001
0766North Brabant26222
0505South Holland119284
0498North Holland19719
1719North Brabant27272
0303Flevoland41555
0225Gelderland18926
0226Gelderland25126
1711Limburg31610
0385North Holland36197
0228Gelderland117165
0317Utrecht9247
0770North Brabant19313
1903Limburg25768
0772North Brabant234394
0230Gelderland23161
0114Drenthe107048
0388North Holland18591
0153Overijssel159640
0232Gelderland33178
0233Gelderland27008
0777North Brabant43878
0779North Brabant21544
1771North Brabant39726
1652North Brabant30723
0907Limburg16921
0784North Brabant26431
1924South Holland50049
0664Zeeland38082
0785North Brabant23904
1942North Holland58055
0512South Holland37022
0513South Holland73427
0786North Brabant12436
0014Groningen232874
1729Limburg14171
0158Overijssel24311
0788North Brabant14370
0392North Holland162902
0394North Holland156002
1655North Brabant30284
0160Overijssel60948
0243Gelderland48414
0523South Holland18295
0072Friesland15722
0244Gelderland12209
0396North Holland39182
0397North Holland27234
0246Gelderland18589
0074Friesland50493
0398North Holland57587
0917Limburg87086
1658North Brabant16152
0399North Holland23968
0163Overijssel35916
0530South Holland40142
0794North Brabant92423
0531South Holland31202
0164Overijssel81140
0796North Brabant155111
1966Groningen47801
0252Gelderland16454
0797North Brabant44692
0534South Holland22209
0798North Brabant15518
0402North Holland90831
1963South Holland87401
1735Overijssel35017
1911North Holland48432
0118Drenthe55699
0405North Holland73261
1507Limburg42429
0321Utrecht50146
0406North Holland41273
0677Zeeland27556
0353Utrecht34109
1884South Holland27297
0166Overijssel54319
0678Zeeland12695
0537South Holland65753
0928Limburg45749
1598North Holland22749
0542South Holland29526
1931South Holland56319
1659North Brabant22523
1685North Brabant15730
0882Limburg37445
0415North Holland11491
0416North Holland28163
1621South Holland62384
0417North Holland11280
0080Friesland124084
0546South Holland125099
0547South Holland27056
1916South Holland76534
0995Flevoland78598
1640Limburg35879
0327Utrecht30401
1705Gelderland46601
0553South Holland22955
0262Gelderland33729
0809North Brabant23408
0331Utrecht14467
0024Groningen9537
0168Overijssel22683
0263Gelderland25030
1641Limburg23965
0556South Holland33213
0935Limburg121575
0420North Holland45101
0938Limburg18828
1948North Brabant81194
0119Drenthe33920
0687Zeeland48822
1842South Holland19341
1731Drenthe33185
1952Groningen60797
0815North Brabant10939
1709North Brabant37129
1978South Holland43909
1955Gelderland36011
0335Utrecht13917
0944Limburg7847
1740Gelderland24339
0946Limburg17019
0356Utrecht63462
0569South Holland28811
0267Gelderland43171
0268Gelderland177659
1930South Holland85219
1970Friesland45228
1695Zeeland7392
1699Drenthe31253
0171Flevoland47291
0575South Holland43508
0820North Brabant23383
0302Gelderland27851
0579South Holland24840
0823North Brabant18714
0824North Brabant26245
1895Groningen38209
0269Gelderland23646
0173Overijssel31836
1773Overijssel18252
0175Overijssel18009
1586Gelderland29627
0826North Brabant55982
0085Friesland25469
0431North Holland9735
0432North Holland11836
0086Friesland29733
0828North Brabant91915
1509Gelderland39388
0437North Holland14026
0589Utrecht10230
1734Gelderland47906
0590South Holland32136
1894Limburg43425
0765Groningen12196
1926South Holland55308
0439North Holland81249
0273Gelderland24112
0177Overijssel37712
0703Zeeland22730
0274Gelderland31419
0339Utrecht5444
1667North Brabant13112
0275Gelderland43761
0340Utrecht20119
0597South Holland46189
1742Overijssel38177
0603South Holland54450
1669Limburg20574
0957Limburg58260
1674North Brabant77251
0599South Holland651157
0277Gelderland1704
0840North Brabant22878
0441North Holland46483
0279Gelderland9880
0606South Holland78730
0088Friesland947
1676Zeeland33839
0965Limburg10555
1702North Brabant11664
0845North Brabant29208
1883Limburg92429
0610South Holland25220
1714Zeeland23210
0090Friesland56150
0342Utrecht46606
0847North Brabant19368
0848North Brabant17322
0037Groningen31686
0180Overijssel17145
0532North Holland21726
0851North Brabant24416
1708Overijssel44126
0971Limburg25007
1904Utrecht64931
1900Friesland89987
0715Zeeland54426
0093Friesland4888
0448North Holland13575
1525South Holland37440
0518South Holland545838
0716Zeeland25757
0281Gelderland42159
0855North Brabant219789
0183Overijssel21275
1700Overijssel33743
1730Drenthe33887
0737Friesland32052
0856North Brabant42119
0450North Holland13666
0451North Holland29478
0184Flevoland21031
0344Utrecht357597
1581Utrecht49580
0981Limburg10105
0994Limburg16367
0858North Brabant31193
0047Groningen27384
0345Utrecht66493
0717Zeeland21880
0861North Brabant45466
0453North Holland68648
0983Limburg101802
0984Limburg43614
1961Utrecht56811
0622South Holland73397
0096Friesland1155
0718Zeeland44360
0986Limburg12475
0626South Holland25596
0285Gelderland24552
0865North Brabant26558
1949Friesland46090
0866North Brabant17456
0867North Brabant48637
0627South Holland29291
0289Gelderland39664
0629South Holland26305
0852North Holland17424
0988Limburg50105
0457North Holland19738
1960Gelderland51128
0668Gelderland19324
1969Groningen63329
1701Drenthe19460
0293Gelderland14971
1950Groningen25733
1783South Holland110375
0098Friesland25914
0614South Holland14731
0189Overijssel24446
0296Gelderland41110
1696North Holland24358
0352Utrecht23914
0294Gelderland28854
0873North Brabant21876
0632Utrecht52299
0880North Holland16270
0351Utrecht13362
0479North Holland156794
0297Gelderland28881
0473North Holland17116
0050Flevoland22653
0355Utrecht64905
0299Gelderland43750
0637South Holland125285
0638South Holland8605
1892South Holland43885
0879North Brabant21829
0301Gelderland47934
1896Overijssel22685
0642South Holland44737
0193Overijssel128840

Special municipalities