Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 45.0% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 43.7% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 32.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
live 16.8 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 96.0% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 53.9% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
make 97.4% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 80.3 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.9 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 51.9% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
be 26.5% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 54.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 63.3% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.6% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 92.3% less strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 96.6% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
use 99.3% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 84.3% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.