Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 23.8 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 133.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 3.3 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 48.9% more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 49.6% more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 148.7 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 96.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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 73.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 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 98.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 32.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 64.3% more coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 88.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 52.1 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 87.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 170.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 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: Somalia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.