Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.9 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 13.5% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $57,500 as of 2023.

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 7.2% as of 2023.

be 38.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Finland, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2022.

pay a 11.4% higher top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Finland, the top tax rate is 51.6% as of 2016.

Life

be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 29.1% 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 Finland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2022.

have 19.0% fewer children

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

Expenditures

spend 23.4% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Finland spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 74.8% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Finnish Tax Administration, The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
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How big is Finland compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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