Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.5 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 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 64.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Netherlands, however, that number is 14.5% as of 2021.

pay a 12.3% higher top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Netherlands, the top tax rate is 52.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Netherlands, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

have 15.9% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Netherlands, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 31.2% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Netherlands spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 15.6% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Netherlands, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 90.9% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Tax and Customs Administration - Belastingdienst, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

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 Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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