Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 99.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 11.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.
live 17.4 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 16.4 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $3,400 as of 2022, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $55,600 as of 2022.
be 13.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.
be 83.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
pay a 32.3% higher top tax rate
Zambia has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.
Life
be 97.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 135.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.
be 95.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 37.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Iceland, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.
have 63.0% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 34.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 47% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Iceland, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
be 4.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 21.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Iceland, about 100.0% do as of 2021.
be 39.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 72% of people have improved drinking water access (90% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Zambia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 71.4% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Zambia Revenue Authority, Directorate of Internal Revenue.
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.