Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Poland instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 48.4% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
see 51.9% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Poland spends $3,939 as of 2024.
be 18.9% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Poland, it is 13.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Poland, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 61.4% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Poland, the GDP per capita is $28,420 as of 2025.
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 Poland, 2.0 women do as of 2023.
have 25.0% fewer children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Poland, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.8% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Poland spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 19.5% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 15.9% more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Poland, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 91.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Poland, they kill 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 41.0% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Poland has 25.4 as of 2024.
live with 95.0% more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Poland withdraws 32% as of 2022.
use 31.6% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Poland uses 4,370 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 3.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Poland, it causes 41.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.4% more CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Poland emits 7.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Poland
Poland: At a glance
How big is Poland compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.