Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Netherlands instead of South Korea, you would:

Health

be 4.3 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Netherlands, that number is 20.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 37.0% more money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Netherlands, the GDP per capita is $69,300 as of 2023.

be 34.8% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Netherlands, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

pay a 36.8% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Netherlands, the top tax rate is 52.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Netherlands, 4.0 women do as of 2020.

have 53.2% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Netherlands, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 18.5% more likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 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.

Expenditures

spend 12.8% more on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Netherlands spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 32.1% more on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Netherlands, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 81.3% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Netherlands, that number is 451 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, 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.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Netherlands.or South Korea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.