Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Macedonia instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 51.5% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Macedonia, it is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.2 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Macedonia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 20.9% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Macedonia, that number is 26.8% of people as of 2024.
see 73.9% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Macedonia spends $1,808 as of 2023.
have 32.7% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Macedonia has 29.4 as of 2022.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Macedonia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Macedonia, that number is 12.3% as of 2025.
make 89.3% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Macedonia, the GDP per capita is $10,490 as of 2025.
Life
be 19.0% 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 Macedonia, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2024.
have 21.4% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macedonia, there are 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.3% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Macedonia, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.6% more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Macedonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Macedonia, they kill 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.3% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Macedonia has 29.9 as of 2024.
live with 134.7 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Macedonia withdraws 53% as of 2022.
use 93.2% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Macedonia uses 3,320 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.1% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Macedonia emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Macedonia, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Macedonia
Macedonia: At a glance
How big is Macedonia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.