Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 98.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 9.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2018. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2018.

live 20.1 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2020.

be 3.8 times more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 43.5 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,200 as of 2017, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $52,200 as of 2017.

be 86.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In Iceland, that number is 2.8% as of 2017.

pay a 54.3% higher top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 349.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Iceland, 4.0 women do as of 2017.

be 94.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Malawi, approximately 39.5 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2020.

have 66.8% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 40.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Iceland, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 9.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 11% of the population has electricity access as of 2017. In Iceland, 100% of the population do as of 2016.

be 7.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Iceland, about 99.0% do as of 2018.

be 12.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Malawi, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Expenditures

spend 87.5% more on education

Malawi spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2017. Iceland spends 7.5% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

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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How big is Iceland compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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