Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 10.9% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 29.9% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 157.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 13.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 81.1% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 91.3% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 38.2% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
be 83.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Botswana, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2015.
make 92.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 51.7 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.3 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 41.5% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.3% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 10.3% more on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 8.8 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 80.2% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
live with 5.7 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 96.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 67.8% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 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 Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.