Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Germany instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
see 27.4% more spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Germany spends $8,826 as of 2024.
live 2.0 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
make 38.5% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Germany, the GDP per capita is $60,496 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% 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 Germany, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.6% 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 Germany, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 27.7% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Germany, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Germany spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 36.6% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 12.3% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 51.9% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Germany, that number is 2,389 km.
Safety
be 29.5% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Germany, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Germany, that number is 72% as of 2020.
be 37.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Germany, they kill 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.6% more home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Germany has 45.6 as of 2024.
live with 90.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Germany withdraws 35% as of 2022.
use 87.5% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Germany uses 6,109 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 18.5% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Germany emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 87.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Germany, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Germany
Germany: At a glance
How big is Germany compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.