Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Denmark instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 10.0% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Denmark, that number is 19.7% of people as of 2016.
live 2.0 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Denmark, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 16.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Denmark, that number is 4.4% as of 2022.
be 40.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Denmark, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2021.
pay a 20.5% higher top tax rate
Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Denmark, the top tax rate is 55.8% as of 2017.
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 Denmark, 5.0 women do as of 2020.
be 84.2% 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 Denmark, on the other hand, 3.0 children do as of 2022.
have 10.3% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Denmark, there are 11.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.9% less on education
Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Denmark spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 47.2% more coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Denmark, that number is 7,314 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Danish Central Tax Administration, Directorate of Internal Revenue.
Denmark: At a glance
How big is Denmark compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.