If you lived in Iceland instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 95.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 25.1 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 50.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 59.1 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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have 2.8 times more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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be 2.0 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 29.6% more likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 42.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 176.8 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 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 96.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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 75.8% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% 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.

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be 7.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 15.8% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.

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spend 4.0 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 90.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 1876.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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live with 14.7% more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 91.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 142.0 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 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 Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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