Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 86.8% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 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
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.5 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 70.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 82.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 76.7% more likely to be murdered
Malaysia 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 2.8 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 88.7% less strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 9.6 times more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 87.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.