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

Health

live 6.5 years longer

In Seychelles, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 81 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 34.4% less likely to be obese

In Seychelles, 33.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Seychelles spends $1,402 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

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have 18.7% more access to essential health services

Seychelles scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

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have 33.7% fewer doctors per person

Seychelles has 66.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

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be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Seychelles has a suicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 65.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Seychelles, 25.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

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make 5.1 times more money

Seychelles has a GDP per capita of $19,449 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

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Life

be 92.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Seychelles, approximately 42.0 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 83.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Seychelles, approximately 12.9 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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Basic Needs

be 11.8% more likely to have internet access

In Seychelles, approximately 87.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 64.3% more on education

Seychelles spends 4.5% 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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spend 2.0 times more on healthcare

Seychelles spends 4.5% 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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Geography

see 10.1 times more coastline

Seychelles has a total of 491 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

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Safety

be 83.8% less likely to be murdered

Seychelles has a homicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 63.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Seychelles, road accidents kill 6.6 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 18.7% more home broadband

Seychelles has 31.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 81.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Seychelles, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 17.7% more CO2

Seychelles emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), 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 Seychelles? See an in-depth size comparison.

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