Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Macedonia, you would:
Health
live 6.2 years longer
In Macedonia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 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.
be 17.3% less likely to be obese
In Macedonia, 26.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 3.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Macedonia spends $1,808 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 48.5% more doctors per person
Macedonia has 29.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Macedonia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Macedonia has a suicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Macedonia, 12.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 9.4 times more money
Macedonia has a GDP per capita of $10,490 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Macedonia, approximately 2.5 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 27.3% more children
In Macedonia, there are approximately 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.9% more on healthcare
Macedonia spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 15.7% less likely to be murdered
Macedonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 57.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Macedonia, road accidents kill 5.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 25.5% more home broadband
Macedonia has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Macedonia withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 14.8 times more electricity
Macedonia uses 3,320 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 87.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Macedonia, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Macedonia emits 4.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macedonia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Macedonia? See an in-depth size comparison.