The Hague (officially ‘s-Gravenhage) is a fast growing city with 560,000 inhabitants (2023). It is the 3rd largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Although The Hague is not the constitutional capital of the country, it is the official seat of the royal family and the government. It is also the capital of the province of South Holland.
Most foreign embassies, Dutch ministries and the Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) are located in The Hague. As the International City of Peace and Justice, it plays host to a large number of international tribunals, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. It is also home to more than 200 international organisations and knowledge institutions, European agencies (such as Europol and Eurojust) and NGOs.
Metropolitan area
Since 2015 The Hague and 20 other municipalities form the Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area with a population of 2.4 million inhabitants across 1,200 square kilometres. The area is also part of the larger urban area called the Randstad. This is an important economic and densely populated area, which includes Amsterdam and Utrecht. The Hague has 6 train stations and 2 international airports (Rotterdam-The Hague International Airport) and Schiphol (Amsterdam) International Airport. Both are less than a 40-minute train ride from The Hague’s Central Station.
Population
The Hague has 8 city districts and a total of 44 neighbourhoods. The largest city district is Centrum. More than half of the city’s residents have an immigrant background (Western and non-Western). This number continues to rise steadily. The composition of the population is very different depending on the neighbourhood.
Nature
The Hague has 11 kilometres of coastline along the North Sea and 2 beach resorts: Scheveningen and Kijkduin. One-third of the city’s total surface area is green with dunes, wide natural sandy beachs, many parks, old country estates and forests. The nature areas are not far from the city centre.
International education
The highest concentration of international primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands can be found in The Hague region. There are international schools subsidised by the Government of the Netherlands as well as private British, American, French, and German schools. There are also schools affiliated with embassies.
In terms of higher education there is 1 college offering vocational training, 5 universities of applied sciences, a Hague campus of Leiden University and a number of postgraduate programmes in English. More information can be found under Begin link: Education and studying, end link. .
Local economy
The Hague’s economy benefits greatly from its status as International City of Peace and Justice. An economic impact survey by theBegin external link: research institute Decisio(External link), end external link.in 2020 showed that the presence of international organisations in The Hague and region directly and indirectly generates 40,000 jobs and 11% of employment is directly or indirectly related to the international organisations. The international non-profit sector (480 organisations in 2019) consists of intergovernmental organisations, European organisations, NGOs, embassies and consulates, cultural and knowledge institutions, international schools and expat and service clubs.
The Hague is an important political city. It is also a key player in the Dutch economy and it is home to significant multinationals and start-ups in the new energy, finance, legal & policy, IT & technology, impact economy and cyber security industries. More information can be found on theBegin external link: website of The Hague Business Agency(External link), end external link..
Look up the numbers online
On the websiteBegin external link: Den Haag in cijfers(External link), end external link.you can find information about the city and its residents. You can look up specific themes and subjects. The information is presented in graphics, tables and maps.
Most of the information comes from the municipality and it contains unique data, such as statistics on births and demographics. You can also look at data from your own neighbourhood. The topics are broken down by subject:
- population
- housing and housing market
- economy
- work and income
- liveability and safety
- education
- politics and administration
- mobility
- sport and culture
- environment and sustainability
- health, welfare and Wmo
- public space and facilities
- neighbourhood profiles
CBS Urban Data Centre / The Hague
The municipality and the Centraal Bureau voor Statistiek (Statistics Netherlands) are working together in a CBS Urban Data Centre / The Hague. The UDC is conducting various studies, for example, into poverty, education and health care. The municipality makes use of the data to improve its policy to meet local needs. Read more on theBegin external link: website of the CBS(External link), end external link..
Published: June 3, 2021
Modified: May 3, 2024
