Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 24.7% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is 9.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.8 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 71.3% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bosnia and Herzegovina spends $1,989 as of 2023.
have 25.8% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bosnia and Herzegovina scores 66 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 11.0% as of 2025.
be 92.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, that number is 16.9% as of 2015.
make 89.4% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the GDP per capita is $10,382 as of 2025.
Life
be 100.0% 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 31.1% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 86.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.5% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.6% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 20 km.
Safety
be 5.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, they kill 13.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.7% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina has 29.4 as of 2024.
live with 5.3 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 92.5% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina uses 3,677 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 24.3% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina emits 6.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina: At a glance
How big is Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.