List of municipalities of the Netherlands

Structure and responsibilities

Municipalities carry out a range of tasks delegated by national law and those decided locally. Typical responsibilities include local spatial planning, public order, social services, waste collection and civil registration. Each municipality is governed by a municipal council (gemeenteraad), an executive college of mayor and alderpersons (burgemeester en wethouders), and a mayor who is appointed by the national government.

Count and distribution

According to recent official organization, the European Netherlands consists of municipalities distributed across twelve provinces, and three special municipalities in the Caribbean portion of the country. Sources have reported a total of 344 European municipalities plus three Caribbean public bodies, together 347 municipalities at a commonly cited reference date in 2022. Because municipal boundaries are periodically adjusted, any published number should be checked for the current date when precise accuracy is required.

History and development

The modern municipal system evolved from medieval towns and rural communes, and was formalized in national law during the 19th century. Since then the Netherlands has repeatedly reduced the number of municipalities through mergers intended to improve administrative capacity and economies of scale. Those consolidations have been a major driver of change in the municipal map.

Caribbean Netherlands and special status

Three Caribbean islands—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba—are special municipalities (public bodies) of the Netherlands. They became part of the country through the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and have a different constitutional and administrative status than municipalities in the European provinces. These entities are often referred to collectively as the Caribbean Netherlands.

Organization of lists and common uses

Lists of municipalities are commonly arranged by province, by population size, or alphabetically. Such lists are used for demographic analysis, electoral administration, planning of public services, and tourism information. When consulting a list, users should note the date of the data because mergers and boundary changes alter the composition over time.

Notable distinctions

• Municipalities vary greatly in population and area, from large cities that are economic hubs to small rural islands with few residents.
• Provinces provide a layer of government above municipalities; water boards (waterschappen) handle specific water-management tasks and are a separate institutional layer.
• Caribbean public bodies operate under different practical arrangements than mainland municipalities and are not part of any Dutch province.

For general information about the country and its administrative makeup see the Netherlands. For background on the overseas parts and their special municipalities see the Caribbean and specifically the Caribbean Netherlands.