If you lived in Swaziland instead of Iceland, you would:

Health

be 234.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 23.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 18.5 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 33.3% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 29.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 86.7% less spent on your healthcare

Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Swaziland spends $922 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 87.3% fewer doctors per person

Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Swaziland has 5.6 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 37.1% less access to essential health services

Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Swaziland scores 56 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Swaziland, it is 27.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 9.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Swaziland, that number is 34.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 95.8% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Swaziland, the GDP per capita is $4,108 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Swaziland, there are 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 39.3 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 Swaziland, 118.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 20.1 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 Swaziland, on the other hand, 42.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 13.6% 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 Swaziland, that number is 86% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 35.4% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Swaziland, about 63.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 19.6% 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 Swaziland, that number is 80% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 17.5% less on education

Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Swaziland spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

spend 16.5% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 9.7 times more likely to be murdered

Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Swaziland, that number is 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 10.3 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Swaziland, they kill 24.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 93.3% less home broadband

Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Swaziland has 2.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 198.9 times more strain on fresh water

Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Swaziland withdraws 78% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 97.6% less electricity

Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 89.7% less CO2

Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Swaziland, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Swaziland: At a glance

Swaziland is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 17,204 sq km. Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, Africa's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but the legal status of political parties remains unclear. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
Read more

How big is Swaziland compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Swaziland or Iceland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.