Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.9 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Romania, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 65.4% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Romania, the top tax rate is 16.0% as of 2016.

make 39.1% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $40,500 as of 2023.

be 57.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.6% as of 2023.

be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Romania, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2021.

Life

be 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Romania, 10.0 women do as of 2020.

be 3.5 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 Romania, on the other hand, 5.8 children do as of 2022.

have 32.5% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 16.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Romania, about 84.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 51.9% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Romania spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 34.4% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Romania, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 95.5% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF), Directorate of Internal Revenue.

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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How big is Romania compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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