Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iceland instead of Faroe Islands, you would:

Health

live 2.4 years longer

In Faroe Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (79 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.

Economy

be 12.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Faroe Islands, 10.0% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

be 61.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Faroe Islands, 2.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

Life

be 72.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Faroe Islands, approximately 6.0 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 15.4% fewer children

In Faroe Islands, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Geography

see 4.4 times more coastline

Faroe Islands has a total of 1,117 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 Faroe Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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