If you lived in Iceland instead of Dominican Republic, you would:

Health

live 8.9 years longer

In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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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be 27.9% less likely to be obese

In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 5.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 80.3% more doctors per person

Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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have 15.6% more access to essential health services

Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 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 28.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 8.9 times more money

Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 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 92.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 36.4% fewer children

In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 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 94.4% more on education

Dominican Republic spends 3.8% 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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spend 95.2% more on healthcare

Dominican Republic spends 4.6% 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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Geography

see 3.9 times more coastline

Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Safety

be 88.2% less likely to be murdered

Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Dominican Republic, 40% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.

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be 91.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 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 3.4 times more home broadband

Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water

Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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use 26.2 times more electricity

Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 70.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.8 times more CO2

Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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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