Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Romania instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 19.2% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.4 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 46.0% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.
see 62.3% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.
have 17.1% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.
have 12.4% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Romania scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 77.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.0 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.9 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.
have 33.0% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.1% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 36.4% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.5% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.
Safety
be 14.0% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 19.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 94.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Romania uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 56.3% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 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. Romania
Romania: At a glance
How big is Romania compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.