Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 0.8 years longer
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
have 12.8% more doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
be 51.1% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 15.5% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
Economy
make 33.4% more money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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 21.7% more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 41.1% more on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 11.0 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 29.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 87.0% more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 97.7% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 7.7 times more electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
find 12.7% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.1% more CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.