Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 7.5 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 40.6% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 5.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Mexico spends $1,368 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 69.0% more doctors per person
Mexico has 25.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 18.7% more access to essential health services
Mexico scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 71.4% more likely to die by suicide
Mexico has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.1 times more money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
be 35.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 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 27.6% fewer children
In Mexico, there are approximately 15.5 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 18.2% more likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 83.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 80.0% more on education
Mexico spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 63.3% more on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 46.7% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 94.8% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Mexico, 39% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 80.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.6% more home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 99.1% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 18.4 times more electricity
Mexico uses 2,658 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 73.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mexico, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Mexico emits 3.6 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mexico vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.