Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 96.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 14.3 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 10.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 8.4 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 81.6% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 63.2% more likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 73.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 11.9 times more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 91.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 58.7% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 42.9% more likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 12.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.2 times more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 5.6 times more coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 80.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.0 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 22.0% less strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 47.9 times more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 84.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.2 times more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.