Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Netherlands instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years longer
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 32.7% less likely to be obese
In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 3.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Netherlands spends $8,195 as of 2024.
have 25.1% more doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Netherlands has 38.8 as of 2022.
have 18.1% more access to essential health services
Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Netherlands scores 85 as of 2021.
be 24.0% less likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Netherlands, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Netherlands, that number is 3.9% as of 2025.
be 26.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Serbia, 19.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Netherlands, however, that number is 14.5% as of 2021.
make 4.8 times more money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.
Life
be 63.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 10.6% more likely to have internet access
In Serbia, approximately 87.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Netherlands, about 97.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.4% more on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 24.7% more on healthcare
Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 47.3% less likely to be murdered
Serbia has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 54.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Netherlands, they kill 3.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 28.8% more home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Netherlands has 43.0 as of 2024.
use 25.5% more electricity
Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.9 times more strain on fresh water
Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Netherlands withdraws 17% as of 2022.
Environment
be 71.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Netherlands, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. Netherlands
Netherlands: At a glance
How big is Netherlands compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.