Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.8 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Qatar, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

be 60.3% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Qatar, that number is 35.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 70.2% more money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Qatar, the GDP per capita is $113,200 as of 2022.

be 96.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Qatar, that number is 0.1% as of 2023.

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 Qatar, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.0 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 Qatar, on the other hand, 6.6 children do as of 2022.

have 27.0% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Qatar, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 58.4% less on education

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

spend 56.2% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Qatar, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 88.7% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Qatar, that number is 563 km.

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

Qatar: At a glance

Qatar is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 11,586 sq km. Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the Amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, overthrew the father in a bloodless coup in 1995. In short order, HAMAD oversaw the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's pursuit of a leadership role in mediating regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar has not experienced domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. Since the outbreak of regional unrest, however, Doha has prided itself on its support for many of these popular revolutions, particularly in Libya and Syria. In mid-2013, HAMAD transferred power to his 33 year-old son, TAMIM bin Hamad - a peaceful abdication rare in the history of Arab Gulf states. TAMIM has prioritized improving the domestic welfare of Qataris, including establishing advanced healthcare and education systems and expanding the country's infrastructure in anticipation of Doha's hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
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How big is Qatar compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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