Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of France, you would:
Health
have 33.3% more doctors per person
France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
be 28.2% less likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 98.4% more likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 2.0 times more money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.2% less likely to die during infancy
In France, approximately 3.4 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% more children
In France, there are approximately 9.7 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 10.8% more likely to have internet access
In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.2% less on healthcare
France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 37.4% more on education
France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 10.9% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In France, 82% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 48.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.2% less strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 7.6 times more electricity
France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
find 23.3% less home broadband
France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 20.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: France vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.