Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iceland instead of Australia, you would:

Health

be 24.5% less likely to be obese

In Australia, 29.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 11.8% more money

Australia has a GDP per capita of $59,500 as of 2023, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $66,500 as of 2023.

be 34.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Australia, 13.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

Life

be 45.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Australia, approximately 3.0 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.

Expenditures

spend 10.3% less on healthcare

Australia spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 26.2% more on education

Australia spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 80.7% less coastline

Australia has a total of 25,760 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
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How big is Iceland compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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