Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
have 18.3% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 54.2% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 38.2% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% 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 Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.6% 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 Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 17.9% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.1% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 20.3% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.7% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 16.3% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 32.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
be 91.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 17.9% more home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
live with 135.5 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
use 85.5% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 14.2% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 87.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.