Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Mongolia, you would:
Health
live 10.4 years longer
In Mongolia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 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 11.6% less likely to be obese
In Mongolia, 25.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 6.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Mongolia spends $1,109 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 36.9% more access to essential health services
Mongolia scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 35.6% less likely to die by suicide
Mongolia has a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Mongolia, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 13.8 times more money
Mongolia has a GDP per capita of $7,108 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 92.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mongolia, approximately 41.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 81.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Mongolia, approximately 11.2 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 33.7% fewer children
In Mongolia, there are approximately 16.9 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 15.4% more likely to have internet access
In Mongolia, approximately 85.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 16.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mongolia, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 64% 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 40.3% more on education
Mongolia spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 47.9% more on healthcare
Mongolia spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 78.2% less likely to be murdered
Mongolia has a homicide rate of 5.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 28.8% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Mongolia, 71% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 80.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mongolia, road accidents kill 12.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Mongolia has 15.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 88.5% less strain on fresh water
Mongolia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 18.0 times more electricity
Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 93.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mongolia, air pollution causes 120.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mongolia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Mongolia? See an in-depth size comparison.