Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 12.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Iceland, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2017.

live 11.2 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Russia, that number is 72 years (67 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 71.9% lower top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Russia, the top tax rate is 13.0% as of 2016.

make 40.2% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $39,800 as of 2023.

be 25.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Russia, however, that number is 11.0% as of 2021.

Life

be 4.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Russia, 14.0 women do as of 2020.

be 3.9 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 Russia, on the other hand, 6.4 children do as of 2022.

have 33.3% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Russia, there are 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Russia, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 51.9% less on education

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

spend 20.8% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 7.6 times more coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Russia, that number is 37,653 km.

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

Russia: At a glance

Russia is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 16,377,742 sq km. Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new ROMANOV Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state in which the leadership seeks to legitimize its rule through managed national elections, populist appeals by President PUTIN, and continued economic growth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.
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How big is Russia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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