Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Colombia instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 56.9% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.1 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 69.5% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.
see 78.5% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Colombia spends $1,758 as of 2024.
have 34.6% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Colombia has 25.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Colombia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Colombia, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2024.
make 88.4% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.0% more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.8 times more 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 Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.1 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.2% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Colombia, about 79.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.7% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 7.1 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.
Safety
be 36.1 times more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Colombia, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 78.2% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 59.9% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 75.7% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Colombia uses 1,551 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 72.7% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 84.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
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. Colombia
Colombia: At a glance
How big is Colombia compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.