Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 9.4 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
Russia scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 44.3% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 26.1% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 14.4% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
Economy
make 5.6 times more money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
be 70.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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 33.3% more children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.7% more on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 27.6% more on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 86.8% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 80.9% less likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 77.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.3% more home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 90.5% less strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 6.7 times more electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 79.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 39.1% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Russia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.