FUNCTIONAL URBAN AREAS IN OECD COUNTRIES:
NETHERLANDS
Notes:
This map is for illustrative purposes and is without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory
covered by these maps.
The functional urban areas identified with the methodology described in the book Redefining “urban”: A new
way to measure metropolitan areas, OECD Publishing 2012 are here listed by size, according to four classes:
 Small urban areas, with population between 50,000 and 200,000
 Medium-sized urban areas, with population between 200,000 and 500,000
 Metropolitan areas, with population between 500,000 and 1.5 million
 Large metropolitan areas, with population above 1.5 million
Each functional urban area is an economic unit characterised by densely inhabited “city core” and “commuting
zone” whose labour market is highly integrated with the cores. The geographic building blocks to define urban
areas are the municipalities (e.g. LAU2 in European countries). The city cores are defined using the population
grid from the global dataset Landscan, referred to circa year 2000. Polycentric cores and the hinterlands of the
functional areas are identified on the basis of commuting data (travel from home-to-work) referred to circa
year 2000 (Census year).
The list of functional urban areas takes into account the results of the consultation with the European National
Version: June 2016
Statistical Institutes launched by Eurostat in June 2011 on the definition of cities and by the OECD with
Delegates from the Working Party on Territorial Indicators. This list of functional urban areas may be reviewed
on the basis of additional comments provided by Countries.
The OECD Metropolitan Areas Database which provides a set of economic, environmental, social and
demographic estimated indicators on the 281 OECD metropolitan areas (functional urban areas with 500 000
or more inhabitants). Additionally, interactive maps, histograms and summary profiles of each metropolitan
area are available on the MetroeXplorer tool.
Version: June 2016
Country
ID on the
map
Name FUA
Class type
Netherlands
NL002
Amsterdam
Large metropolitan areas
2,156,348
2,452,659
Netherlands
NL003
Rotterdam
Metropolitan areas
1,437,855
1,509,373
Netherlands
NL001
The Hague
Metropolitan areas
797,368
906,897
Netherlands
NL005
Eindhoven
Metropolitan areas
662,426
700,299
Netherlands
NL004
Utrecht
Metropolitan areas
635,274
754,615
Netherlands
NL007
Groningen
Medium-sized urban areas
456,796
485,048
Netherlands
NL008
Enschede
Medium-sized urban areas
389,229
405,964
Netherlands
NL009
Arnhem
Medium-sized urban areas
380,799
410,391
Netherlands
NL012
Breda
Medium-sized urban areas
331,667
362,520
Netherlands
NL013
Nijmegen
Medium-sized urban areas
287,805
307,777
Netherlands
NL010
Heerlen
Medium-sized urban areas
284,629
258,779
Netherlands
NL006
Tilburg
Medium-sized urban areas
279,894
298,129
Netherlands
NL503
's-Hertogenbosch
Medium-sized urban areas
260,257
278,239
Netherlands
NL511
Zwolle
Medium-sized urban areas
235,738
262,621
Netherlands
NL015
Leeuwarden
Medium-sized urban areas
233,075
244,719
Netherlands
NL014
Apeldoorn
Medium-sized urban areas
231,938
234,836
Netherlands
NL514
Alkmaar
Small urban areas
193,474
208,334
Netherlands
NL504
Amersfoort
Small urban areas
191,363
225,429
Netherlands
NL505
Maastricht
Small urban areas
186,651
179,155
Netherlands
NL515
Venlo
Small urban areas
184,645
185,719
Netherlands
NL507
Leiden
Small urban areas
172,716
176,565
Netherlands
NL016
Sittard-Geleen
Small urban areas
168,747
161,469
Netherlands
NL506
Dordrecht
Small urban areas
150,049
150,992
Netherlands
NL501
Haarlem
Small urban areas
148,120
151,702
Netherlands
NL519
Almelo
Small urban areas
146,699
152,945
Netherlands
NL020
Roosendaal
Small urban areas
128,806
129,448
Netherlands
NL513
Deventer
Small urban areas
119,638
134,294
Netherlands
NL032
Middelburg
Small urban areas
111,990
115,544
Netherlands
NL028
Bergen op Zoom
Small urban areas
110,291
114,471
Netherlands
NL017
Delft
Small urban areas
107,056
109,692
Netherlands
NL030
Gouda
Small urban areas
102,423
101,893
Netherlands
NL512
Ede
Small urban areas
101,767
111,007
Netherlands
NL018
Hilversum
Small urban areas
100,485
104,255
Netherlands
NL026
Alphen aan den Rijn
Small urban areas
78,955
82,960
Netherlands
NL029
Katwijk
Small urban areas
59,300
63,179
11,624,273
12,531,919
Total functional urban areas
Share of national population in functional urban areas
Number of functional urban areas
Total population
(2000)
73.3%
Total population
(2014)
74.5%
35
Note:
The class type has been computed based on 2001 population data.
The population by metropolitan area has been computed based on the last population census.
The functional urban areas identified with the methodology described in the book Redefining “urban”: A new
way to measure metropolitan areas, OECD Publishing 2012 are here listed by size, according to four classes:
 Small urban areas, with population between 50,000 and 200,000
 Medium-sized urban areas, with population between 200,000 and 500,000
 Metropolitan areas, with population between 500,000 and 1.5 million
 Large metropolitan areas, with population above 1.5 million
Version: June 2016