Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 20.4% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 12.9% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
see 21.0% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
be 39.3% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 25.3% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 12.0% more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 31.1% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.4 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 21.2% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ireland, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 14.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 98.5% more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 16.2% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 95.2% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 7.8 times more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 41.1% more CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 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: Ireland vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.