Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 92.0% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.8 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 80.6% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 49.8% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 22.1% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 64.9% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
have 47.3% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.7% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.6% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 46.9% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 7.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 17.5% more home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
live with 2497.9 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
use 75.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 11.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.