Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Netherlands instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 16.1% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 16.9% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Netherlands, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.1 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
have 12.1% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Netherlands has 38.8 as of 2022.
Economy
be 55.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Netherlands, that number is 3.9% as of 2025.
make 16.7% more money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $73,684 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Netherlands spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 10.8% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Netherlands, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 86.0% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.
Safety
be 40.0% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 61.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Netherlands, they kill 3.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 4.7 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Netherlands withdraws 17% as of 2022.
use 47.8% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Netherlands, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 84.9% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Netherlands
Netherlands: At a glance
How big is Netherlands compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.