Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
see 94.5% more spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
live 3.9 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 84.5% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
have 15.8% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
be 31.2% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 5.7 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 States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.9% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 85.9% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.0 times more coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 30.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In United States, that number is 63% as of 2021.
be 5.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 72.2 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
use 73.8% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.9% more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.