Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Netherlands instead of Aruba, you would:

Health

live 5.5 years longer

In Aruba, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 90.9% more money

Aruba has a GDP per capita of $38,591 as of 2024, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.

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Life

be 71.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Aruba, approximately 12.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Netherlands, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

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have 21.2% more children

In Aruba, there are approximately 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Netherlands, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 43.1% more on education

Aruba spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 6.6 times more coastline

Aruba has a total of 68 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.

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Infrastructure

find 2.5 times more home broadband

Aruba has 17.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Netherlands has 43.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 28.2% more CO2

Aruba emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Aruba vs. Netherlands

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Netherlands is 13.8% more expensive than Aruba overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Aruba is about 231 times smaller than Netherlands.
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Moving from Aruba to Netherlands · UN DESA 2020
5,554 people born in Aruba live in Netherlands.
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Netherlands: At a glance

Netherlands is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 33,893 sq km. The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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How big is Netherlands compared to Aruba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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