Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.7 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Taiwan, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Life

be 89.0% 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 Taiwan, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 34.8% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Taiwan, there are 7.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 68.5% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Taiwan, that number is 1,566 km.

View global rankings →

Sources: The World Factbook (2022–2024), World Bank (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Iceland vs. Taiwan

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Taiwan is 63.2% cheaper than Iceland overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Iceland is about 2.9 times bigger than Taiwan.
→
Moving from Iceland to Taiwan · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Taiwan: At a glance

Taiwan is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 32,260 sq km. In 1895, military defeat forced China's Qing Dynasty to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan came under Chinese Nationalist control after World War II. Following the communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Beginning in the 1950s, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. This process expanded rapidly in the 1980s. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist (Kuomintang or KMT) to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be management of sensitive relations between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of Taiwan's eventual status - as well as domestic priorities for economic reform and growth.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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