Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 12.3% more likely to be obese

In Switzerland, 19.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 12.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Switzerland, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Iceland, that number is 2.8% as of 2017.

make 15.9% less money

Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $62,100 as of 2017, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $52,200 as of 2017.

pay a 15.7% higher top tax rate

Switzerland has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Iceland, 4.0 women do as of 2017.

be 40.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Switzerland, approximately 3.5 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2020.

have 26.7% more children

In Switzerland, there are approximately 10.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Iceland, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 10.4% more likely to have internet access

In Switzerland, approximately 89.7% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Iceland, about 99.0% do as of 2018.

Expenditures

spend 47.1% more on education

Switzerland spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Iceland spends 7.5% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Swiss Federal Tax Administration, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

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 Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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