Iceland vs United States — Country Comparison 2026
⚖️ 🇮🇸 Iceland vs 🇺🇸 United States
|
🇮🇸 Iceland
|
🇺🇸 United States
|
| Official Name |
Iceland |
United States of America |
| Capital |
Reykjavik |
Washington, D.C. |
| Region |
Europe / Northern Europe |
North America / North America |
| Currency |
Icelandic króna |
United States dollar |
📊 AT A GLANCE
| Metric |
Iceland |
United States |
| Avg Nomad Score |
52 |
61 |
| Population |
364,260 |
341,784,857 |
| Area |
103,000 km² |
9,525,067 km² |
| Density |
3.5/km² |
35.7/km² |
| HDI |
0.972 |
0.938 |
| GDP/capita PPP |
$130,684 (2030)
|
$85,810 (2024)
|
| Life Expectancy |
82.6 yrs
|
—
|
| Visa-Free Access |
155 countries (#39)
|
153 countries (#41)
|
💰 ECONOMICS
| Indicator |
Iceland |
United States |
| GDP Nominal |
$58.2B
(2030)
|
$28,751.0B
(2024)
|
| GDP/capita PPP |
$130,684
(2030)
|
$85,810
(2024)
|
| GDP Growth |
2.4%
(2030)
|
2.8%
(2024)
|
| Inflation (CPI) |
2.5%
(2030)
|
3.0%
(2024)
|
| Unemployment |
4.0%
(2030)
|
4.2%
(2025)
|
| Gini Index |
26.8
(2019)
|
41.8
(2023)
|
| Internet Users |
99.8%
(2023)
|
—
|
| Urban Population |
94.2%
(2024)
|
—
|
| Govt Debt (% GDP) |
37.8%
(2030)
|
118.1%
(2024)
|
| Trade Openness |
86.0%
(2024)
|
—
|
| Labor Force Part. |
87.5%
(2025)
|
—
|
🏥 HEALTHCARE
| Indicator | Iceland | United States |
|---|
| Life Expectancy |
82.6 yrs
(2023)
|
—
|
👥 DEMOGRAPHICS & SOCIETY
| Indicator |
Iceland |
United States |
| Government |
Unitary parliamentary republic |
Federal Presidential system |
| Languages |
Icelandic |
English |
| Timezones |
UTC |
UTC-12:00, UTC-11:00, UTC-10:00 +8 |
| Driving Side |
Right |
Right |
| Education Spending |
7.3% GDP
(2022)
|
—
|
| Health Spending |
9.0% GDP
(2024)
|
—
|
| Fertility Rate |
1.6
(2023)
|
—
|
| Birth Rate |
11.0 /1k
(2023)
|
—
|
| Death Rate |
6.6 /1k
(2023)
|
—
|
| Infant Mortality |
1.9 /1k
(2023)
|
—
|
🏠 QUALITY OF LIFE
| Indicator |
Iceland |
United States |
| Life Satisfaction |
7.5
(2025)
|
6.8
(2025)
|
| Healthy Life Expectancy |
71.4 yrs
(2021)
|
63.9 yrs
(2021)
|
| Universal Health Coverage |
80
(2021)
|
80
(2021)
|
| Broadband /100 people |
37.4
(2023)
|
38.2
(2023)
|
🏛️ POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
| Indicator |
Iceland |
United States |
| Corruption (CPI) |
77.00 # (2026) |
64.00 # (2026) |
| Press Freedom |
81.4 #17 UE Balkans (2025) |
65.5 #57 Amériques (2025) |
| Electoral Democracy |
0.81 |
0.74 |
| Liberal Democracy |
0.72 |
0.57 |
| Participatory Democracy |
0.57 |
0.51 |
🌱 ENVIRONMENT
| Indicator |
Iceland |
United States |
| PM2.5 |
5.8
µg/m³ (2019)
|
7.2
µg/m³ (2019)
|
| Renewable Energy |
100.0%
(2023)
|
24.1%
(2024)
|
📍 TOP NOMAD CITIES
| # |
Iceland |
Score |
Cost |
United States |
Score |
Cost |
| 1 |
Reykjavik
|
6.2 |
$6,601/mo |
Santa Monica
|
6.8 |
$5,680/mo |
| 2 |
Kopavogur
|
5.6 |
$6,615/mo |
Denver
|
6.7 |
$5,335/mo |
| 3 |
Akureyri
|
5.6 |
$4,930/mo |
Austin
|
6.7 |
$5,545/mo |
| 4 |
Keflavik
|
5.4 |
$7,127/mo |
Chicago
|
6.7 |
$5,375/mo |
| 5 |
Hafnarfjordur
|
5.4 |
$4,158/mo |
Los Angeles
|
6.7 |
$5,965/mo |