Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 57.5% less likely to be obese

In Illinois, 34.6% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 19.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Illinois, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Netherlands, that number is 3.9% as of 2025.

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be 27.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Illinois, 11.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Netherlands, however, that number is 14.5% as of 2021.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023). How we calculate this

Compare further: Illinois vs. Netherlands

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Netherlands is 9.3% more expensive than Illinois
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Size Comparison · See true size
Illinois is about 3.5 times bigger than Netherlands.
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Moving from Illinois to Netherlands · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Chicago vs Amsterdam
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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 Illinois? See an in-depth size comparison.

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