Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
live 6.8 years longer
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 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.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 41.1% more doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 23.6% more access to essential health services
Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 21.3% less likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 6.4 times more money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 72.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 54.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 Serbia, 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% more likely to have internet access
In Serbia, approximately 87.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 11.8% more on healthcare
Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 67.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.4% more home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 93.2% less strain on fresh water
Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 9.6 times more electricity
Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 82.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 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 (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.