Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 98.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 16.3 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 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 28.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 13.5 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 58.9% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 91.7% more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 67.0% more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 74.6 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 34.6 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 65.8% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 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 95.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 5.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 36.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 58% 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 79.6% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 50.2% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 86.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 47.5 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 86.3% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 67.4 times more electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 84.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.8 times more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.