Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iceland instead of South Korea, you would:

Health

be 4.7 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 31.4% more money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $66,500 as of 2023.

be 38.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

be 34.8% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

pay a 21.8% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 62.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 42.5% less likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 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 82.1% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Iceland, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 63.8% more on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 14.3% more on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, 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.
Read more

How big is Iceland compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Iceland.or South Korea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.