Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iceland instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 93.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.

live 24.9 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 34.8 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $55,600 as of 2022.

be 84.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

be 15.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 3.8% as of 2022.

pay a 54.3% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 99.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 97.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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 59.1% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 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 3.6 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 27% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Iceland, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 7.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 100.0% do as of 2021.

be 37.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 15.4% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.4 times more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 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, National Revenue Authority.

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 Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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