Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
be 15.0% less likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.6 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 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 96.6% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 34.7% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
Economy
be 25.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 14.3% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 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 28.7% more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.2% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 50.4% more on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 27.0% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Switzerland, 72% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 94.0% less strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 6.9 times more electricity
Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
find 20.2% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 20.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.