Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 25.1 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 81.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 10.9% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.1% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.6 times more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 48.9% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.0 times more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 88.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 99.5% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 12.8 times more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 84.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.