Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 15.7 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 47.1% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 7.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 50.8% more access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
Economy
make 11.6 times more money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
be 22.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
Life
be 98.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 90.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 44.3% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 49.0% more likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 14.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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 33.0% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 13.4 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 79.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.0 times more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.