Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 65.8% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.0 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 10.6% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
see 84.6% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 58.6% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 96.0% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 12.2% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.3 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 Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.9 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 Iran, on the other hand, 10.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.1% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.4% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 32.9% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 50.9% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 8.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 67.9% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 208.4 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 92.2% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 6.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.