Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.4 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Austria, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 47.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Austria, that number is 5.2% as of 2023.

be 68.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Austria, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2021.

pay a 18.8% higher top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Austria, the top tax rate is 55.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 66.7% more likely to die during childbirth

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

be 96.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Austria, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 26.2% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Austria, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 33.8% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Austria spends 5.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 19.8% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Austria, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, Federal Ministry of Finance.

Austria: At a glance

Austria is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 82,445 sq km. Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
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How big is Austria compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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