Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.1 years longer

In Kazakhstan, the average life expectancy is 73 years (67 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 2.1 times more money

Kazakhstan has a GDP per capita of $26,100 as of 2022, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $55,600 as of 2022.

be 22.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Kazakhstan, 4.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

be 69.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kazakhstan, 5.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

pay a 4.6 times higher top tax rate

Kazakhstan has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 76.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kazakhstan, approximately 13.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Kazakhstan, approximately 19.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Iceland, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.

have 26.7% fewer children

In Kazakhstan, there are approximately 17.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 16.3% more likely to have internet access

In Kazakhstan, approximately 86.0% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 100.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 71.1% more on education

Kazakhstan spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.5 times more on healthcare

Kazakhstan spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, Tax Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
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How big is Iceland compared to Kazakhstan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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