Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 41.1% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 58.9% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 87.4% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 32.6% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 95.4% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 11.9% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 15.7 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.5 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.0% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 50.8% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 91.5% more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.2% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 76.4% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.