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

Health

be 93.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 12.5 years longer

In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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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be 26.3% less likely to be obese

In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 3.2 times more doctors per person

Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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have 17.1% more access to essential health services

Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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be 51.9% less likely to die by suicide

Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 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 69.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 3.0 times more money

Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 96.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guyana, approximately 75.0 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 90.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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 43.7% fewer children

In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 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 18.3% more likely to have internet access

In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 3.6 times more on healthcare

Guyana spends 2.5% 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 10.8 times more coastline

Guyana has a total of 459 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Safety

be 93.3% less likely to be murdered

Guyana has a homicide rate of 19.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 84.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 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 2.9 times more home broadband

Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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live with 88.2% less strain on fresh water

Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 84.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 86.8% more CO2

Guyana emits 4.6 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 (2020–2025), 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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