If you lived in Hungary instead of Iceland, you would:

Health

live 6.1 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Hungary, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 41.3% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Hungary, that number is 31.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 58.5% less spent on your healthcare

Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Hungary spends $2,875 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 21.0% fewer doctors per person

Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Hungary has 34.6 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 11.2% less access to essential health services

Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Hungary scores 79 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 38.1% more likely to die by suicide

Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Hungary, it is 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 24.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hungary, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 73.7% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Hungary, the GDP per capita is $25,907 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 4.0 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 Hungary, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

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 Hungary, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 26.8% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hungary, there are 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 48.0% less on education

Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Hungary spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 29.1% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Hungary, that number is 6.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 44.2% less likely to be murdered

Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Hungary, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Hungary, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 20.8 times more strain on fresh water

Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Hungary withdraws 8% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 90.2% less electricity

Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Hungary uses 4,812 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 47.7% less CO2

Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hungary emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 5.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Hungary, it causes 42.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Hungary: At a glance

Hungary is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 89,608 sq km. Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU five years later. In 2011, Hungary assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU for the first time.
Read more

How big is Hungary compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Hungary or Iceland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.