Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.1 years longer

In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Australia, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Australia, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 13.7% more likely to die by suicide

Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Australia, it is 13.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 11.6% less money

Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Australia, the GDP per capita is $65,130 as of 2025.

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Life

be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Australia, 2.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 16.3% more children

In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Australia, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 57.1 times more coastline

Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Australia, that number is 25,760 km.

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Safety

be 23.2% more likely to be murdered

Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Australia, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 32.4% more likely to die in a road accident

In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Australia, they kill 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 72.0% less strain on fresh water

Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Australia withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 53.5% more electricity

Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Australia uses 9,801 kWh as of 2024.

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find 15.1% less home broadband

Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Australia has 36.5 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 23.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Australia, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.1 times more CO2

Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Australia emits 14.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: Netherlands vs. Australia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Australia is 6.3% cheaper than Netherlands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Netherlands is about 186 times smaller than Australia.
→
Moving from Netherlands to Australia · OECD 2023
473 people moved from Netherlands to Australia.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Amsterdam vs Sydney
→

Australia: At a glance

Australia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 7,682,300 sq km. Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include aging of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. In January 2013, Australia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.
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How big is Australia compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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