Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 23.8% less likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 16.2% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
have 15.4% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. France has 32.8 as of 2022.
be 44.2% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 94.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
make 33.5% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% 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 France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 15.3% more on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 10.8 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
Safety
be 94.2% more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 38.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.8% more home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. France has 48.9 as of 2024.
live with 28.3% more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
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 France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 39.4% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
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. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.