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

Health

be 95.0% less likely to die by suicide

Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jordan, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 4.8 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Jordan, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 59.2% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jordan, that number is 35.4% of people as of 2024.

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see 88.5% less spent on your healthcare

Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jordan spends $798 as of 2023.

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have 34.8% fewer doctors per person

Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jordan has 28.5 as of 2022.

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have 27.0% less access to essential health services

Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jordan scores 65 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 4.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jordan, that number is 16.5% as of 2025.

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be 78.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Jordan, however, that number is 15.7% as of 2018.

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make 94.6% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Jordan, the GDP per capita is $5,348 as of 2025.

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Life

have 82.6% more children

In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jordan, there are 20.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 10.3 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 Jordan, 31.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 5.7 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 Jordan, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 55.8% less on education

Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jordan spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 14.7% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Jordan, that number is 7.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 99.5% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Jordan, that number is 26 km.

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Safety

be 23.3% less likely to be murdered

Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jordan, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 5.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jordan, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 81.3% less home broadband

Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jordan has 7.0 as of 2024.

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live with 269.7 times more strain on fresh water

Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jordan withdraws 105% as of 2022.

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use 96.2% less electricity

Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jordan uses 1,858 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 75.5% less CO2

Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jordan emits 2.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jordan, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Jordan: At a glance

Jordan is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 88,802 sq km. Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain demarcated a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country's long-time ruler, King HUSSEIN (1953-99), successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, King HUSSEIN's eldest son, assumed the throne following his father's death in 1999. He implemented modest political and economic reforms, but in the wake of the "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements. In January 2014, Jordan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
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