Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
live 13.4 years longer
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 41.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 44.6 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 66.7% more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 81.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Yemen, 48.6% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
Life
be 97.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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 67.4% fewer children
In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 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 19.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% 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 5.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% 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.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 91.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 29.5 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 546.0 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 92.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.8 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 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 (2014), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.