Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.6 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Jordan, that number is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 62.1% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Jordan, that number is 35.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 56.8% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Jordan, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 82.9% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $55,600 as of 2022, while in Jordan, the GDP per capita is $9,500 as of 2022.

be 5.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Jordan, that number is 19.2% as of 2022.

be 78.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Jordan, however, that number is 15.7% as of 2018.

Life

have 76.2% more children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jordan, there are 22.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 13.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Jordan, 41.0 women do as of 2020.

be 8.4 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 Jordan, on the other hand, 13.9 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 17.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Jordan, about 83.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 58.4% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Jordan spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 21.9% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Jordan, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 99.5% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Jordan, that number is 26 km.

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

Jordan: At a glance

Jordan is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 88,802 sq km. Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain demarcated a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country's long-time ruler, King HUSSEIN (1953-99), successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, King HUSSEIN's eldest son, assumed the throne following his father's death in 1999. He implemented modest political and economic reforms, but in the wake of the "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements. In January 2014, Jordan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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