Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Faroe Islands instead of Iceland, you would:

Economy

be 13.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Faroe Islands, however, that number is 10.0% as of 2015.

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make 24.6% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Faroe Islands, the GDP per capita is $74,175 as of 2024.

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Life

be 2.9 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 Faroe Islands, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 77.5% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Faroe Islands, that number is 1,117 km.

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Environment

emit 99.5% less CO2

Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Faroe Islands emits 0.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Iceland vs. Faroe Islands

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Faroe Islands is 25.3% cheaper than Iceland overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Iceland is about 74 times bigger than Faroe Islands.
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Moving from Iceland to Faroe Islands · UN DESA 2020
256 people born in Iceland live in Faroe Islands.
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Faroe Islands: At a glance

Faroe Islands is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 1,393 sq km. The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self-government was granted the Faroese in 1948, who have autonomy over most internal affairs while Denmark is responsible for justice, defense, and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union.
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How big is Faroe Islands compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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