If you lived in Iceland instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:

Health

live 18.9 years longer

In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 11.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 28.6 times more doctors per person

Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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have 93.5% more access to essential health services

Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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be 15.6% more likely to be obese

In Equatorial Guinea, 19.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 69.4% more likely to die by suicide

Equatorial Guinea has a suicide rate of 7.0 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 56.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Equatorial Guinea, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 14.9 times more money

Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $6,615 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 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 95.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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.

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have 62.7% fewer children

In Equatorial Guinea, there are approximately 30.0 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 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% 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 55.2% more likely to have internet access

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 63.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.6 times more on healthcare

Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% 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 16.8 times more coastline

Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Safety

be 79.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Equatorial Guinea, road accidents kill 11.7 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 375.2 times more home broadband

Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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use 61.8 times more electricity

Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water

Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 86.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.3 times more CO2

Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 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), 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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How big is Iceland compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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