Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 85.8% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 11.2 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 58.5% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 87.5% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 89.5% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 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. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
make 91.9% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
be 43.3 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 7.8 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 Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.4% 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 Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.6% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 15.4% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 79.4% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 38.3 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 23.4% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 70% as of 2019.
be 7.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 57.4% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 31.7 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 97.5% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 66.7% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.