# List of cities in the Netherlands by province
A list of cities in the Netherlands by province organizes the country's urban municipalities under the twelve provinces in which they lie. Because the Netherlands has no legal definition of a "city" today, such lists usually take municipalities as their units, ordered by province and often by population; [Statistics Netherlands](https://www.edgepedia.org/statistics-netherlands) (CBS) maintains the authoritative municipal classification with each municipality's province code.[1](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentelijke-indelingen-per-jaar/indeling-per-jaar/gemeentelijke-indeling-op-1-januari-2025)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Administrative units | 12 provinces and 342 municipalities as of 1 January 2025, a count unchanged on 1 January 2026[1](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentelijke-indelingen-per-jaar/indeling-per-jaar/gemeentelijke-indeling-op-1-januari-2025) • [2](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentelijke-indelingen-per-jaar/indeling-per-jaar/gemeentelijke-indeling-op-1-januari-2026) |
| Most populous province | Zuid-Holland, 3,863,397 inhabitants on 1 January 2025, density 1,432 per km² of land[3](https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/figures/detail/37259eng?q=population) |
| Least populous province | Zeeland, 392,969 inhabitants on 1 January 2025[3](https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/figures/detail/37259eng?q=population) |
| Largest municipality | Amsterdam (Noord-Holland), 934,526 inhabitants on 1 January 2025[4](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/cijfers/detail/86059NED) |
| Historical trend | Around 1900 there were about 1,100 municipalities; mergers reduced this to 342 by 1 January 2023[5](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/overheid-en-democratie/gemeenten/gemeentelijke-herindeling) |
| First and last city rights | Deventer received city rights in 956; Delfshaven was the last, in 1825[6](https://www.visitholland.nl/index.php/facts-and-figures/290-dutch-cities-and-cityrights) |
## Provinces and their largest cities
The CBS statistical table "Gebieden in Nederland" assigns every municipality to a province and reports its population. The largest municipality of each province, with its population on 1 January 2025, is:[4](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/cijfers/detail/86059NED)
| Province | Largest municipality | Population (1 Jan 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Zuid-Holland | Rotterdam | 672,960 |
| Noord-Holland | Amsterdam | 934,526 |
| Utrecht | Utrecht | 376,757 |
| Noord-Brabant | Eindhoven | 249,035 |
| Groningen | Groningen | 244,441 |
| Gelderland | Nijmegen | 189,850 (January 2026[9](https://www.overheidingelderland.nl/gemeente/nijmegen)) |
| Overijssel | Zwolle | 133,810 |
| Limburg | Maastricht | 125,563 |
| Fryslân | Leeuwarden | 129,973 |
| Flevoland | Almere | 230,500 (April 2025, date exception; Almere is Flevoland's largest municipality[10](https://english.almere.nl/the-municipality/about-almere)) |
| Drenthe | Emmen | 109,678[11](https://gemeente.emmen.nl/file/woz-verantwoordingsdocument-2026) |
| Zeeland | Middelburg | 50,152 |
Two provinces hold more than one of the four largest Dutch cities: Zuid-Holland contains [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam) (672,960) and 's-Gravenhage, [The Hague](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hague) (568,945), and Noord-Holland contains Amsterdam (934,526) and Haarlem (168,743).[4](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/cijfers/detail/86059NED) Provincial populations on the same date ranged from Zeeland's 392,969 to Zuid-Holland's 3,863,397, with Noord-Holland second at 2,992,016, Noord-Brabant third at 2,664,047, and [Gelderland](https://www.edgepedia.org/gelderland) fourth at 2,161,358.[3](https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/figures/detail/37259eng?q=population)
## What counts as a city
The Netherlands has no legal city status. In the [Low Countries](https://www.edgepedia.org/low-countries) a settlement is often called a city when it was granted a package of city rights at some point in its history, and current population is irrelevant to that label; the smallest such city, Staverden, has 40 inhabitants.[6](https://www.visitholland.nl/index.php/facts-and-figures/290-dutch-cities-and-cityrights) City rights were a medieval institution: a liegelord such as a count or duke granted a settlement privileges including the right to hold markets, erect walls, charge toll, store and trade specific goods, and levy taxes, in exchange for duties and loyalty.[6](https://www.visitholland.nl/index.php/facts-and-figures/290-dutch-cities-and-cityrights) Deventer was the first community in the present-day Netherlands to receive city rights, in 956, and Delfshaven the last, in 1825.[6](https://www.visitholland.nl/index.php/facts-and-figures/290-dutch-cities-and-cityrights) During the [Batavian Republic](https://www.edgepedia.org/batavian-republic) all city rights were abolished in 1795.[7](https://www.canonvannederland.nl/nl/page/221442/stadsrechten)
Because of this history, any list of "cities by province" depends on its criterion: municipalities with historic city rights, municipalities above a population threshold, or all municipalities. Statistics Netherlands classifies municipalities by size bands, from under 20,000 inhabitants up to 250,000 or more; Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht sit in the largest band.[4](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/cijfers/detail/86059NED)
## Municipal reorganizations
The province-to-municipality mapping changes over time. Municipal reorganizations (herindelingen) merge municipalities or divide the territory of an abolished municipality among several others, and boundary corrections transfer territory between existing municipalities; the CBS publishes yearly overviews recording the municipalities involved, their populations, housing stock, and land area.[8](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/nederland-regionaal/regionale-statistieken/gebiedswijzigingen-gemeenten) The number of municipalities fell from about 1,100 around 1900 to 342 on 1 January 2023, and it remained 342 through 1 January 2026, since 2024 saw no municipal area changes at all.[5](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/overheid-en-democratie/gemeenten/gemeentelijke-herindeling) • [8](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/nederland-regionaal/regionale-statistieken/gebiedswijzigingen-gemeenten) • [2](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentelijke-indelingen-per-jaar/indeling-per-jaar/gemeentelijke-indeling-op-1-januari-2026) Further mergers are under consideration: reorganization proposals concerning Wijdemeren and [Hilversum](https://www.edgepedia.org/hilversum) are dated per 1 January 2027, and Best and Oirschot per 1 January 2028.[5](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/overheid-en-democratie/gemeenten/gemeentelijke-herindeling)
## References
1. [Gemeentelijke indeling op 1 januari 2025, CBS](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentelijke-indelingen-per-jaar/indeling-per-jaar/gemeentelijke-indeling-op-1-januari-2025)
2. [Gemeentelijke indeling op 1 januari 2026, CBS](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/classificaties/overig/gemeentelijke-indelingen-per-jaar/indeling-per-jaar/gemeentelijke-indeling-op-1-januari-2026)
3. [Population dynamics; birth, death and migration per region, CBS StatLine](https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/figures/detail/37259eng?q=population)
4. [Gebieden in Nederland 2025, CBS](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/cijfers/detail/86059NED)
5. [Gemeentelijke herindeling, Rijksoverheid.nl](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/overheid-en-democratie/gemeenten/gemeentelijke-herindeling)
6. [Dutch cities and cityrights, Visit Holland](https://www.visitholland.nl/index.php/facts-and-figures/290-dutch-cities-and-cityrights)
7. [Stadsrechten, Canon van Nederland](https://www.canonvannederland.nl/nl/page/221442/stadsrechten)
8. [Gebiedswijzigingen gemeenten, CBS](https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/nederland-regionaal/regionale-statistieken/gebiedswijzigingen-gemeenten)
9. [Nijmegen - Overheid in Gelderland](https://www.overheidingelderland.nl/gemeente/nijmegen)
10. [About Almere, English - City of Almere](https://english.almere.nl/the-municipality/about-almere)
11. [gemeente.emmen.nl](https://gemeente.emmen.nl/file/woz-verantwoordingsdocument-2026)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Cities and towns › Cities and towns — overview and lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license