Netherlands Administrative Divisions

What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Netherlands?

The Netherlands operates on a two-level administrative system, starting with 12 provinces as the top-level divisions. Each province is subdivided into municipalities (gemeenten), which are the smallest administrative units in the country. In addition, there are 3 special municipalities, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, located in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:

1. Provinces: The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces.

2. Municipalities: Each province is subdivided into municipalities (gemeenten), which are the smallest administrative units.

Special Municipalities: In addition, there are 3 special municipalities in the Caribbean Netherlands: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba.

List of Netherlands's administrative divisions with their counts and names

These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.

isocountryadmin level 1admin level 2admin level 3admin level 4
NLNetherlandsBonaire (Special municipality)This level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsDrenthe (Province)12 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsFlevoland (Province)6 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsFriesland (Province)18 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsGroningen (Province)10 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsGuelders (Province)51 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsLimburg (Province)31 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsNorth Brabant (Province)56 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsNorth Holland (Province)44 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsOverijssel (Province)25 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsSaba (Special municipality)This level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsSint Eustatius (Special municipality)This level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsSouth Holland (Province)50 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsUtrecht (Province)26 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NLNetherlandsZeeland (Province)13 MunicipalitiesThis level doesn’t exist for this country.This level doesn’t exist for this country.

Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?

The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.

How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?

Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.

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