Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 1.9 years longer
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
have 10.8% more doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
be 24.2% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 39.8% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
be 39.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
make 47.6% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.5% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 29.3% fewer children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.4% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 11.0 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.
Infrastructure
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
use 18.6% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
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 Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.7% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.