Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 19.8% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.4 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 23.3% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
have 24.5% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
Economy
be 31.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.
make 41.4% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.7 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 United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 95.2% 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 United Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 11.7% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.2% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 23.9% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 13.2% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.4% more home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 36.8 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
use 91.4% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 50.5% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.