Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kazakhstan instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 8.3 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 78.9% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kazakhstan spends $1,460 as of 2023.
have 14.2% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kazakhstan has 37.5 as of 2023.
have 10.1% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kazakhstan scores 80 as of 2021.
be 22.6% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, it is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 31.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
make 85.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $14,692 as of 2025.
Life
have 74.3% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, there are 19.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.3 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 Kazakhstan, 10.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 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 Kazakhstan, on the other hand, 7.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.5% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 58.0% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 97.7% more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 59.2% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kazakhstan has 15.3 as of 2024.
live with 88.8 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kazakhstan withdraws 35% as of 2022.
use 89.5% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Kazakhstan uses 5,146 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 8.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kazakhstan, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.
emit 47.5% more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kazakhstan emits 12.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: At a glance
How big is Kazakhstan compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.