Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 16.5 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 21.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 13.8 times more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 81.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 235.9 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 95.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 68.0% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 6.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 23.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.1% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 2.5 times more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 68.0% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 90.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 469.0 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 94.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 30.4 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.