Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Serbia instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 48.7% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
see 71.9% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Serbia spends $2,303 as of 2023.
have 20.0% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Serbia has 31.0 as of 2022.
have 15.3% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Serbia scores 72 as of 2021.
be 31.7% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Serbia, it is 15.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Serbia, that number is 7.1% as of 2025.
be 35.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Serbia, however, that number is 19.7% as of 2023.
make 79.3% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Serbia, the GDP per capita is $15,262 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.8 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 Serbia, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.3% 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 Serbia, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.4% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Serbia spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 19.8% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 8.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 89.9% more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Serbia, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Serbia, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 65.5% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Serbia withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 22.4% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Serbia has 33.4 as of 2024.
use 20.3% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Serbia uses 5,090 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Serbia, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Serbia
Serbia: At a glance
How big is Serbia compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.