Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 94.9% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.4 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 98.5% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 60.8% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 24.7% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 98.6% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.0 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.2 times 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Netherlands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.0% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 72.9% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 57.2% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 8.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.0% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 7.5 times more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 86.6% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 80.8% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.