Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 42.7% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.6 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 81.8% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 55.9% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
have 15.7% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 93.3% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
have 86.7% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 66.7% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.5 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 74.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 41.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 38.8% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.1% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 346.7 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
use 94.3% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.5% more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.