Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 1.1 years longer
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 31.0% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
be 26.8% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 28.8% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
make 60.7% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.8% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 42.0% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.2% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 46.5% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 45.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 110.9 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
use 89.4% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 47.1% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.