Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Kazakhstan, you would:
Health
live 8.3 years longer
In Kazakhstan, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 4.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Kazakhstan spends $1,460 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 16.5% more doctors per person
Kazakhstan has 37.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 11.2% more access to essential health services
Kazakhstan scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 18.4% less likely to die by suicide
Kazakhstan has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Kazakhstan, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 6.7 times more money
Kazakhstan has a GDP per capita of $14,692 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kazakhstan, approximately 10.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 71.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Kazakhstan, approximately 7.4 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 42.6% fewer children
In Kazakhstan, there are approximately 19.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.4% more on education
Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Kazakhstan spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 49.4% less likely to be murdered
Kazakhstan has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 80.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kazakhstan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Kazakhstan has 15.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
Kazakhstan withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 9.5 times more electricity
Kazakhstan uses 5,146 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 88.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kazakhstan, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.2% less CO2
Kazakhstan emits 12.6 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 (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kazakhstan vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Kazakhstan? See an in-depth size comparison.