Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.5 years less

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

View global rankings →

Economy

make 47.6% less money

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

View global rankings →

Life

be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy

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

View global rankings →

have 17.5% fewer children

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

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 30.1% less on education

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

View global rankings →

Geography

see 84.8% less coastline

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

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 59.3% less home broadband

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

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 22.0% less CO2

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

View global rankings →

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

Compare further: Netherlands vs. Aruba

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Aruba is 12.1% cheaper than Netherlands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Netherlands is about 231 times bigger than Aruba.
→
Moving from Netherlands to Aruba · UN DESA 2020
5,128 people born in Netherlands live in Aruba.
→

Aruba: At a glance

Aruba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 180 sq km. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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