If you lived in Netherlands instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

be 96.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2023.

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live 16.0 years longer

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 39.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Netherlands spends $8,195 as of 2024.

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have 22.4 times more doctors per person

Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Netherlands has 38.8 as of 2022.

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have 2.1 times more access to essential health services

Republic of the Congo scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Netherlands scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 20.4% more likely to be obese

In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 71.4% more likely to die by suicide

Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Netherlands, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 80.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Netherlands, that number is 3.9% as of 2025.

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make 29.3 times more money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 87.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Netherlands, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

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have 69.8% fewer children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Netherlands, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Netherlands, about 97.0% do as of 2024.

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be 36.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Netherlands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 55.1% more on education

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 3.0 times more on healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 2.7 times more coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.

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Safety

be 59.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Netherlands, they kill 3.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 33.8 times more home broadband

Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Netherlands has 43.0 as of 2024.

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use 18.9 times more electricity

Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 555.3 times more strain on fresh water

Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Netherlands withdraws 17% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 80.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Netherlands, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.9 times more CO2

Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Netherlands: At a glance

Netherlands is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 33,893 sq km. The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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