Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 95.0% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.2 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 48.6% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 98.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 65.2% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 28.1% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
be 9.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Syria, however, that number is 82.5% as of 2014.
make 98.9% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.7 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.4 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.6% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 69.8% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.1% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 12.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 81.7% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 318.9 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 98.3% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 85.1% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.