Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 74.4% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.3 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 66.9% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 37.0% of people as of 2024.
see 72.6% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
have 56.9% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
have 12.4% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Brunei scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 67.2% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
have 19.0% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.0 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 Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.1 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 Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.2% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.8% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 50.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 43.6% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
live with 8.9 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 78.2% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.