Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 22.1 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 66.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 23.3 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 67.0% more likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 82.4 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
be 27.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 95.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 71.7% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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.
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 15.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% 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.
Expenditures
spend 74.9% more on education
Mali spends 4.2% 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
Mali 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 88.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 48.7 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 95.1% less strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 87.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 28.4 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 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: Mali vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.