Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iceland instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 2.6 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 55.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Hong Kong, 19.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

View global rankings →

make 72.5% more money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 29.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 17.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 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.

View global rankings →

have 2.3 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 91.9% more on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 6.8 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

use 7.7 times more electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 85.2% more CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2016–2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Iceland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Iceland is 16.9% more expensive than Hong Kong overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 93 times smaller than Iceland.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to Iceland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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.
Read more

How big is Iceland compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Iceland or Hong Kong. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.