Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 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 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 21.9% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 25.2% more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.8 times more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bulgaria, 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.
be 54.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Bulgaria, approximately 4.6 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 34.9% more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 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 19.1% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.4% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 13.4% more on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 14.0 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 71.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 18.3% more likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 9.1 times more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 87.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.5% more CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.