Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 79.5% less likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ethiopia, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2016.

live 15.4 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 24.4% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Ethiopia, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

make 95.8% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $2,800 as of 2023.

be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 23.5% as of 2015.

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 89.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ethiopia, 267.0 women do as of 2020.

be 20.3 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 33.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 45.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Iceland, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Ethiopia, 55% of the population do as of 2022.

be 83.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ethiopia, about 17.0% do as of 2021.

be 23.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 41.6% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ethiopia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 63.5% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority.

Ethiopia: At a glance

Ethiopia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,096,570 sq km. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.
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How big is Ethiopia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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