Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Estonia instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 3.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 46.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.
have 20.7% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Estonia has 34.7 as of 2022.
have 11.2% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Estonia scores 79 as of 2021.
be 25.4% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Estonia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 65.0% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.
Life
be 28.6% less 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.
be 66.7% 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 36.6% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.7% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 12.7% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 23.7% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.
Safety
be 19.4% more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Estonia, that number is 75% as of 2021.
be 83.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 33.5 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.
use 89.2% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Estonia, it causes 13.0 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. Estonia
Estonia: At a glance
How big is Estonia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.