Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 21.1% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 12.2% more spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
be 16.2% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
make 35.8% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% 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 Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 17.0% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.9% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 35.3% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 10.9% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 12.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 19.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 73% as of 2022.
Infrastructure
live with 9.2 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 75.0% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 58.1% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.