If you lived in Iceland instead of Kenya, you would:

Health

be 96.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Kenya, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 19.0 years longer

In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 25.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 15.1 times more doctors per person

Kenya has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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have 67.9% more access to essential health services

Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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be 96.8% more likely to be obese

In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 33.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 41.6 times more money

Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kenya, approximately 149.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 93.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Kenya, approximately 34.2 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.

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have 58.5% fewer children

In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 31.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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be 52.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 81.8% more on education

Kenya spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 9.3 times more coastline

Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Safety

be 73.5% less likely to be murdered

Kenya has a homicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 91.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Kenya, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 12.3 times more home broadband

Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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live with 98.8% less strain on fresh water

Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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use 250.9 times more electricity

Kenya uses 195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 75.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 22.4 times more CO2

Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
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