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

Health

live 4.1 years longer

In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 40.2% less likely to be obese

In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 7.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Netherlands spends $8,195 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 2.1 times more doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Netherlands has 38.8 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 14.9% more access to essential health services

Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Netherlands scores 85 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Netherlands, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 53.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Netherlands, that number is 3.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 18.8 times more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 75.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 67.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Iran, approximately 10.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Netherlands, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 26.8% fewer children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Netherlands, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 13.7% more likely to have internet access

In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Netherlands, about 97.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 83.7% more on education

Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 66.0% more on healthcare

Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 81.5% less coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 83.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Netherlands, they kill 3.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 3.6 times more home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Netherlands has 43.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 79.5% less strain on fresh water

Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Netherlands withdraws 17% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 67.4% more electricity

Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 74.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Netherlands, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 27.1% less CO2

Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is Netherlands compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Netherlands or Iran. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.