Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Maldives instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 19.5% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 87.7% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 67.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.
have 31.5% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Maldives, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.
be 24.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
make 85.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.7 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 Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.2 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Maldives, about 85.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.0% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.
Safety
be 45.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 47.6% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.
live with 40.2 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 58.1% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Maldives
Maldives: At a glance
How big is Maldives compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.