Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Greenland instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 12.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 26.4% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 84.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Greenland, however, that number is 16.2% as of 2015.
make 40.5% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.
Life
be 4.2 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 Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 29.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 39.5% more on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Greenland spends 10.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
Geography
see 8.9 times more coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.
Infrastructure
find 14.8% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 22.7% more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Greenland
Greenland: At a glance
How big is Greenland compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.