The Netherlands is a nation.
The European Union ( EU ) is a political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe . Three lists of countries below calculate gross domestic product ( at purchasing power parity ) per capita , i.e. , the purchasing power parity ( PPP ) value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given year , divided by the average ( or mid-year ) population for the same year . This is a list of countries by inequality-adjusted human development index ( IHDI ) , as published by the UNDP in its 2016 Human Development Report . The Netherlands , ( [ ˈnɛðərləndz ] Nederland [ ˈneːdərˌlɑnt ] ; Nederlân ) also known informally as Holland , is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The Netherlands has a long history of social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country , having legalised abortion , prostitution and euthanasia , while maintaining a progressive drugs policy .