Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nauru instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 20.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.
see 64.3% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.
have 32.6% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
make 85.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 91.0 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.7 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.5% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.9% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.4% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 73.5% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nauru has 10.0 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Nauru
Nauru: At a glance
How big is Nauru compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.