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  3. Netherlands vs South Korea

The Netherlands' area vs South Korea's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

South Korea is 2.68 times bigger by total area compared to the Netherlands: 38,724 sq mi vs 14,432 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of South Korea is 37,684 sq mi vs 13,000 sq mi for the Netherlands — a 2.9 times difference in territory size.

  • The Netherlands ranks 133/197 by total surface area vs 107/197 for South Korea.
  • The Netherlands occupies 0.02% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.07% for South Korea.
  • 53.5% of the Netherlands' area is agricultural land vs 16.1% in South Korea.
  • The Netherlands has 0.04% of the world's agricultural land area — S. Korea has 0.03%.
  • 11.1% of the Netherlands is covered by forests, compared to 64.1% in S. Korea.
  • 0.009% of the world's forests are in the Netherlands, and 0.15% are in South Korea.

True size map comparison: Netherlands vs South Korea

See how the Netherlands and South Korea compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Netherlands South Korea
Total area 14,432
sq mi 		38,724
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 2.68
Total area rank 133/197 107/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.007% 0.02%
Land area 13,000
sq mi 		37,684
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 2.9
Land area rank 134/197 105/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.02% 0.07%
Population 17,993,485 51,751,065
Population density 1,402 ppl/mi² 1,371 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Netherlands South Korea
Forest area 1,437
sq mi 		24,158
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 11.1% 64.1%
Forest area rank 145/196 67/196
World's forests share 0.009% 0.15%
Agricultural land area 6,961
sq mi 		6,054
sq mi
Agricultural land share 53.5% 16.1%
Agricultural land area rank 122/194 128/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.04% 0.03%
Arable land 3,896
sq mi 		5,622
sq mi
Arable land share 30% 14.9%
Arable land area rank 107/191 92/191
Permanent cropland 139
sq mi 		792
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 1.07% 2.1%
Permanent cropland area rank 134/192 83/192
Water area 1,432
sq mi 		1,041
sq mi
Water as share of total area 9.92% 2.69%
Water area rank 78/197 85/197
Roads length 88,123
mi 		68,794
mi
Land borders length 654
mi 		147.3
mi
Coastline length 280.2
mi 		1,499
mi
Share of marine protected waters 33.6% 2.2%

Netherlands vs South Korea size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/netherlands/south-korea | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of the Netherlands and South Korea but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.