Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 38.7% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 28.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
live 14.3 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.3% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 88.1% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 44.9% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
be 3.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Gabon, however, that number is 33.4% as of 2017.
make 91.6% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 77.7 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.3 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.0% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 11.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 68.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 65.1% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.2% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 5.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.5% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 28.2% more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 97.9% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Gabon uses 1,023 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 75.9% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.