Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 32.0% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Malta, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 12.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

pay a 24.4% lower top tax rate

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

make 14.0% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $57,200 as of 2023.

be 89.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Malta, however, that number is 16.7% as of 2021.

Life

be 2.7 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 Malta, on the other hand, 4.5 children do as of 2022.

have 25.4% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 9.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 13.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Malta, about 87.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 23.4% less on education

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

spend 12.5% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Malta, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 96.0% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, Government of Malta - Inland Revenue.

Malta: At a glance

Malta is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 316 sq km. Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both world wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964; a decade later it declared itself a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.
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How big is Malta compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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