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

Health

live 15.5 years longer

In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 65.9% less likely to be obese

In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 3.2 times more doctors per person

Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 71.2% more access to essential health services

Tuvalu scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 16.3 times more money

Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 98.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 87.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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.

View global rankings →

have 49.0% fewer children

In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 21.0% more likely to have internet access

In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 43.1% less on education

Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 66.9% less on healthcare

Tuvalu spends 27.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 207.1 times more coastline

Tuvalu has a total of 24 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 86.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 8.3 times more home broadband

Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), 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.
Read more

How big is Iceland compared to Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Iceland or Tuvalu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.