If you lived in Iceland instead of Nauru, you would:

Health

live 20.5 years longer

In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 68.9% less likely to be obese

In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 48.3% more access to essential health services

Nauru scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 6.7 times more money

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nauru, approximately 273.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 72.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Nauru, approximately 7.7 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.

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have 54.4% fewer children

In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 18.3% more likely to have internet access

In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 50.7% less on healthcare

Nauru spends 18.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.

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spend 26.5% more on education

Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 165.7 times more coastline

Nauru has a total of 30 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Safety

be 70.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.8 times more home broadband

Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
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How big is Iceland compared to Nauru? See an in-depth size comparison.

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