Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Spain, you would:
Health
see 40.4% more spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
live 1.1 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.0% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 36.6% more likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 19.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 72.3% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.3% more on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 31.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 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
Spain 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 99.1% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 9.4 times more electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 20.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.9% more CO2
Spain emits 4.5 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.