Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
have 22.4% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
be 35.1% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 61.8% more money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 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 21.7% more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.9% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 16.4% more on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 74.7 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 47.0% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 47.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 19.4% more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 6.9 times more electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
find 15.2% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 46.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.6% more CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.