Dutch people

Dutch

Nederlanders
Total population
c. 30–35 million[a] Dutch diaspora and ancestry: c. 14 million
Regions with significant populations
Netherlands      16,366,000[1] (Self-identified ethnic Dutch and those legally treated as Dutch, e.g. Moluccans per Faciliteitenwet)[1]
United States[b]	3,083,000[2]
South Africa[b][d]	3,000,000[3][4]
Canada[b]	1,112,000[5]
Australia[b]	336,000[6]
Germany	257,000[7]
Belgium[b]	121,000[8]
New Zealand[b]	100,000[9]
France	60,000[10]
United Kingdom	56,000[11]
Spain	48,000[12]
Denmark	30,000[13]
Switzerland	20,000[14]
Indonesia	17,000[13]
Turkey	15,000[15]
Norway	13,000[16]
Italy	13,000[12]
Portugal	12,000[17]
Curaçao	10,000[12]
Sweden	10,000[13]
Israel	5,000[12]
Aruba	5,000[12]
Luxembourg	5,000[12]
Hungary	4,000[12]
Austria	3,200[12]
Poland	3,000[12]
Suriname	3,000[12]
Japan	1,000[12]
Greece	1,000[12]
Thailand	1,000[12]
Languages
Primarily Dutch and other regional languages: Dutch Low Saxon[a] Limburgish[b][18] West Frisian (Friesland)[c][19][20] English (BES Islands)[d][21] Papiamento (Bonaire)[e][21][22]
Religion
Majority irreligious[23][24] Historically or traditionally Christian (Roman Catholic and Protestant)[c][25]
Related ethnic groups
Afrikaners Flemings Frisians
^a Including 16 million[1] self-identified ethnically Dutch inhabitants of the Netherlands, 2 million (at most) living abroad, and another 14–15 million who declare Dutch ancestry worldwide, including expatriates.[note 1] ^b Predominantly of Dutch ancestry. ^c Dutch Protestants are mainly Reformed, with notable Lutheran minorities. Roman Catholics also form a sizable minority, especially in the south on the border with Flanders, a traditional Catholic stronghold. ^d In South Africa, most Afrikaners and Coloureds (Cape Coloureds) trace their ancestry to the Netherlands, being descendants of Dutch colonisers, who established the Dutch Cape Colony. They speak Afrikaans as their native language, which is a mutually intelligible sister language of Dutch that developed in the Colony.

The Dutch (Dutch: Nederlanders^ⓘ) are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common ancestral and cultural heritage and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Aruba, Suriname, Guyana, Curaçao, Argentina, Brazil, Canada,^[26] Australia,^[27] South Africa,^[28] New Zealand and the United States.^[29] The Low Countries were situated around the border of France and the Holy Roman Empire, forming a part of their respective peripheries and the various territories of which they consisted had become virtually autonomous by the 13th century.^[30] Under the Habsburgs, the Netherlands were organised into a single administrative unit, and in the 16th and 17th centuries the Northern Netherlands gained independence from Spain as the Dutch Republic.^[31] The high degree of urbanisation characteristic of Dutch society was attained at a relatively early date.^[32] During the Republic the first series of large-scale Dutch migrations outside of Europe took place.

The traditional arts and culture of the Dutch encompasses various forms of traditional music, dances, architectural styles and clothing, some of which are globally recognisable. Internationally, Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh are held in high regard. The predominant religion among the Dutch is Christianity, encompassing both Catholicism and Protestantism. However, in contemporary times, the majority no longer adhere to a particular Christian denomination. Significant percentages of the Dutch are adherents of humanism, agnosticism, atheism or individual spirituality.^[33][34][35]

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