Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 34.2% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Canada, that number is 29.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 28.7% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Canada, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

make 16.1% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Canada, the GDP per capita is $55,800 as of 2023.

be 50.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Canada, that number is 5.4% as of 2023.

Life

be 3.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Canada, 11.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.7 times 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 Canada, on the other hand, 4.4 children do as of 2022.

have 19.3% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Canada, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 32.5% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Canada spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 34.4% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Canada, that number is 12.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 40.7 times more coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Canada, that number is 202,080 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Canada Revenue Agency, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

Canada: At a glance

Canada is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 9,093,507 sq km. A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the world's longest unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.
Read more

How big is Canada compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Canada.or Iceland It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.