Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.7 years less

In Singapore, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 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 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Singapore, 6.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 47.8% less money

Singapore has a GDP per capita of $127,500 as of 2023, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $66,500 as of 2023.

pay a 2.1 times higher top tax rate

Singapore has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 57.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Singapore, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

have 43.2% more children

In Singapore, there are approximately 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 2.8 times more on education

Singapore spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 57.4% more on healthcare

Singapore spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 25.8 times more coastline

Singapore has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, Directorate of Internal 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 Singapore? See an in-depth size comparison.

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