Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 18.9% less likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 32.5% more doctors per person
United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
be 24.7% more likely to die by suicide
United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.8% less likely to be unemployed
In United Kingdom, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 52.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In United Kingdom, 18.6% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 70.7% more money
United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 62.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.8% less likely to die during infancy
In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 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 13.2% more children
In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.3% less on healthcare
United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 23.7% more on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 60.0% less coastline
United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 15.2% more likely to be murdered
United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 97.3% less strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 11.7 times more electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
find 11.0% less home broadband
United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Kingdom vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.