Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 15.7 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 89.1% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
see 87.4% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 33.7% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 91.4% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 79.4% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 51.7 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.8 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.9% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
be 12.6% 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 49.3% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.5% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Safety
be 5.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.7% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.