Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.0 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 20.8% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $52,700 as of 2023.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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 Italy, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.5% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 43.7% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 25.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Italy, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 44.2% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Italy spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 52.9% more coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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