Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iceland instead of Guernsey, you would:

Economy

be 39.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Guernsey, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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Life

be 37.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Guernsey, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.

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have 15.5% more children

In Guernsey, 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.

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Basic Needs

be 13.4% more likely to have internet access

In Guernsey, approximately 86.6% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 99.4 times more coastline

Guernsey has a total of 50 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2021–2024), World Bank (2024–2025). How we calculate this

Compare further: Guernsey vs. Iceland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Iceland is 16.4% more expensive than Guernsey overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Guernsey is about 1,321 times smaller than Iceland.
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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 Guernsey? See an in-depth size comparison.

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