Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Singapore instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Singapore, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 29.6% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Singapore, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.7% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Singapore, that number is 17.0% of people as of 2024.
see 20.1% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Singapore spends $6,551 as of 2023.
have 26.9% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Singapore has 28.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 27.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Singapore, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
make 34.1% more money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $98,814 as of 2025.
Life
be 35.3% less 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 Singapore, on the other hand, 2.2 children do as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Singapore, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
have 19.6% fewer children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Singapore, there are 7.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.7% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Singapore spends 2.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 55.1% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Singapore, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 57.2% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 89.9% less likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Singapore, that number is 0.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 44.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Singapore, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 52.7% more electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Singapore uses 9,750 kWh as of 2023.
find 35.3% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Singapore has 27.8 as of 2024.
live with 99.6% more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Singapore withdraws 33% as of 2022.
Environment
be 76.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Singapore, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 47.7% more CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Singapore emits 9.8 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. Singapore
Singapore: At a glance
How big is Singapore compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.