Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years longer
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 10.8% less likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 72.5% more doctors per person
Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 11.2% more access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 11.5 times more money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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 15.5% fewer children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 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 23.8% more likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.0% more on education
Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 10.3% more on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 54.9% more coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 94.8% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 78.9% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Colombia, 51% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 85.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 89.3% less strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 31.6 times more electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.7 times more CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.