The Dutch are from the country of the Netherlands in northwestern Europe, where they are the native ethnic group.

Quick Scoop: Where are the Dutch from?

  • The word Dutch refers to the people of the Netherlands, also called Netherlanders.
  • The Netherlands is a low-lying country in Western Europe, bordering Germany, Belgium, and the North Sea.
  • In their own language, Dutch people usually call themselves Nederlanders and their country Nederland.

A bit of background

  • The Dutch formed as a people in the region of today’s Netherlands, part of the historic “Low Countries,” known for land below or just above sea level.
  • Culturally and historically, key areas were the provinces of North and South Holland, where major cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague grew up.
  • Over centuries, ancestors of the Dutch included various Germanic groups living around the river deltas of Western Europe, such as Frisians, Saxons, and Franks.

Dutch today, around the world

  • Most Dutch people still live in the Netherlands, but there are long‑standing Dutch communities in places like South Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia, and parts of Latin America.
  • Because of this history of migration and trade, you can meet people of Dutch descent far beyond Europe, even though their origins trace back to the Netherlands.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.