Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Netherlands instead of Switzerland, you would:

Health

live 1.1 years less

In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Netherlands, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 15.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Switzerland, 16.0% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Netherlands, however, that number is 13.6% as of 2019.

make 20.8% less money

Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $68,400 as of 2020, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $54,200 as of 2020.

be 47.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Switzerland, 2.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Netherlands, that number is 3.4% as of 2019.

pay a 30.0% higher top tax rate

Switzerland has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Netherlands, the top tax rate is 52.0% as of 2016.

Expenditures

spend 10.6% less on healthcare

Switzerland spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Netherlands, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2019.

spend 10.2% more on education

Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Netherlands spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Swiss Federal Tax Administration, Tax and Customs Administration - Belastingdienst.

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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How big is Netherlands compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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