Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 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.
be 23.3% less likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 89.1% more doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Ecuador scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 57.5% more likely to die by suicide
Ecuador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 13.8 times more money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 94.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 24.4% fewer children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 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 27.3% more likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 98.1% more on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 18.8% more on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 97.2% less likely to be murdered
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 45.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 89.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 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
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 94.2% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 29.2 times more electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 65.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.