Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.4 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 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 21.2% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 22.9 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2021, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $66,500 as of 2023.

be 73.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

be 89.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.

pay a 2.1 times higher top tax rate

Syria 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 90.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 89.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 15.9 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 41.9% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 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 12.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Iceland, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 100.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 51.0% more on education

Syria spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. Iceland spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 25.8 times more coastline

Syria 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, Ministry of Finance, Syria, 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 Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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