Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 24.2% less likely to be obese

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

Economy

make 16.3% more money

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

be 47.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

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

be 13.7% more likely to be unemployed

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

pay a 32.3% higher top tax rate

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

Life

be 63.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Malta, approximately 4.5 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 34.0% more children

In Malta, there are approximately 9.4 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 14.9% more likely to have internet access

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

Expenditures

spend 11.1% less on healthcare

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

spend 30.5% more on education

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

Geography

see 25.3 times more coastline

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

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

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 Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.

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