Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.0 years longer

In Denmark, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 11.2% more likely to be obese

In Denmark, 19.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 30.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Denmark, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

be 29.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Denmark, 12.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

pay a 17.0% lower top tax rate

Denmark has a top tax rate of 55.8% as of 2017. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Denmark, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 45.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Denmark, 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.

have 11.5% more children

In Denmark, there are approximately 11.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 20.3% more on education

Denmark spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 32.0% less coastline

Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Danish Central Tax Administration, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

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 Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.

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