Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Germany, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Germany, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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 21.5% less spent on your healthcare
Germany spends $8,826 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
Economy
make 62.5% more money
Germany has a GDP per capita of $60,496 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Germany, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Germany, approximately 3.1 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 38.3% more children
In Germany, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.8% less on healthcare
Germany spends 12.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 39.5% more on education
Germany spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
Germany has a total of 2,389 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 26.1% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Germany, 72% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 27.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Germany, road accidents kill 3.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 41.8% more likely to be murdered
Germany has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
Germany withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 8.0 times more electricity
Germany uses 6,109 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
find 17.7% less home broadband
Germany has 45.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 46.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Germany, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.8% more CO2
Germany emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Germany vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Germany? See an in-depth size comparison.