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

Health

be 17.9% less likely to die by suicide

Austria has a suicide rate of 14.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 34.3% more likely to be obese

In Austria, 16.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 16.0% less spent on your healthcare

Austria spends $8,250 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 20.7% fewer doctors per person

Austria has 55.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 35.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Austria, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 56.2% more money

Austria has a GDP per capita of $62,930 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Austria, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 25.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Austria, approximately 2.8 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.

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have 33.3% more children

In Austria, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 24.1% less on healthcare

Austria spends 11.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.

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spend 38.4% more on education

Austria spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 47.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Austria, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 46.6% more likely to be murdered

Austria has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 24.5% more home broadband

Austria has 30.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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live with 95.5% less strain on fresh water

Austria withdraws 9% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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use 6.2 times more electricity

Austria uses 7,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 52.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Austria, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 34.8% more CO2

Austria emits 6.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
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How big is Iceland compared to Austria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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