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

Health

be 76.9% less likely to die by suicide

Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 3.0 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 78.9% less spent on your healthcare

Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 57.0% fewer doctors per person

Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 28.1% less access to essential health services

Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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make 86.8% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 2.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 12.6% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 57.7% less on education

Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 21.5% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 92.7% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Albania, that number is 362 km.

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Safety

be 4.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 33.7% less home broadband

Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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live with 12.3 times more strain on fresh water

Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 94.1% less electricity

Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Albania uses 2,892 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 79.0% less CO2

Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 7.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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