Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Netherlands instead of Poland, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.6% less likely to be obese
In Poland, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Netherlands spends $8,195 as of 2024.
be 15.9% less likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Netherlands, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.6 times more money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.
be 29.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Netherlands, that number is 3.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 33.3% more children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Netherlands, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 11.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.2% more on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 24.2% more on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 13.8% less likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 47.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Netherlands, they kill 3.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.5% more home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Netherlands has 43.0 as of 2024.
live with 48.7% less strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Netherlands withdraws 17% as of 2022.
use 46.2% more electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 68.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Netherlands, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.6% less CO2
Poland emits 7.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands emits 6.6 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: Poland vs. Netherlands
Netherlands: At a glance
How big is Netherlands compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.