Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Yemen instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 40.0% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
be 64.7% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Yemen, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 13.4 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.6% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Yemen spends $169 as of 2023.
have 97.8% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Yemen has 1.0 as of 2023.
have 52.8% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Yemen scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Yemen, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
be 5.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Yemen, however, that number is 48.6% as of 2014.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Yemen, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 39.3 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 Yemen, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.1 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 Yemen, on the other hand, 33.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.4% 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 Yemen, that number is 84% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 82.0% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Yemen, about 17.7% do as of 2022.
be 25.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 75% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 61.6% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Yemen, that number is 1,906 km.
Safety
be 12.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Yemen, they kill 29.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 96.6% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Yemen has 1.3 as of 2022.
live with 435.3 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Yemen withdraws 170% as of 2022.
use 99.8% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Yemen uses 90 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.9% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 13.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Yemen, it causes 109.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Yemen
Yemen: At a glance
How big is Yemen compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.