The Netherlands has almost the most campsites in the EU in terms of population

The Netherlands is one of the largest camping countries in Europe. France may have the most campsites in absolute numbers, but the Netherlands is almost at the top based on population size.

The Netherlands has 151 campsites per 1 million inhabitants, calculated by the industry organization Kampeer en Caravan Industrie (KCI) using figures from the statistics agency Eurostat. There are over 8,100 campsites in France, which amounts to 120 per 1 million inhabitants.

In traditional holiday countries Spain and Italy, there are 39 and 28 campsites per million inhabitants, respectively. These Southern European countries also have fewer campsites in absolute numbers than the Netherlands. The differences with neighboring countries Belgium (30) and Germany (38) are also large.

In terms of relative numbers of campsites, the Netherlands is only trailed by Croatia in Europe, reports the organisation for manufacturers and suppliers of caravans, campers, folding trailers, and tents. That country has 226 campsites per 1 million inhabitants.

"Just like with cycling, camping is much more popular than in our direct neighboring countries and even more popular than in Southern Europe," says KCI chairman Leo Diepemaat, who considers camping a part of Dutch culture. He also points out that there are now 618,000 campers and caravans in the Netherlands, 11,000 more than a year ago.