dutch strength

Quality of life

Life is good in the Netherlands, for life sciences & health and beyond

Healthcare, happiness, education and skills, health status, income and wealth, social security and labor force: the Netherlands ranks high on all international quality of life indicators. It simply is a great place to be!

Money may not buy happiness, it is an important means to achieve comfortable living standards. The Netherlands has a lot to offer, strong economic growth, a well-educated and multi-lingual population and low employment rate.

On top of that, the Netherlands is one of the healthiest countries in the world. Thanks to our excellent healthcare system the life expectancy has increased with 4.5 years in the last quarter of a century. This means that the life expectancy at birth of the Dutch population is now 82, while the average life expectancy at birth of the global population is 71, giving the Netherlands a World Life Expectancy ranking of 14.

There is also a subjective indicator for quality of life: the self-reported life satisfaction. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Dutch people scored their lives a 7.8 on average. This makes them one of the most satisfied people in the world. However, where quality of life is concerned, only the best is good enough. Together we will, therefore, maintain a strong commitment to further improve the quality of life.

Did you know?
~ Our healthcare system is No1 in the world
~ Some 90% of Dutch speak English
~ 77% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education
~ Dutch children are the happiest in the world
~ The Dutch culture is one of the friendliest in Europe