Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 49.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 89.4% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 24.3% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 44.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 24.3 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 85.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 59.5% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 62.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.5% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 96.6% more coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 80.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 32.3 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 86.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.8 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.