Netherlands vs Iceland
Economics, safety, healthcare, politics, quality of life, visa freedom and top nomad cities side by side.
Overview
 NL
Netherlands
|
 IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Kingdom of the Netherlands | Iceland |
| Capital | Amsterdam | Reykjavik |
| Region | Europe Western Europe | Europe Northern Europe |
| Currency | euro | Icelandic króna |
At a glance
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Average nomad score | 65 | 51 |
| Population | 17,100,715 | 364,260 |
| Area | 41,865 km² | 103,000 km² |
| Density | 408.5 per km² | 3.5 per km² |
| Human development index | — | 0.972 |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $117,344 (2031) | $105,456 (2031) |
| Life expectancy | 82.0 yrs (2024) | 82.8 yrs (2024) |
| Visa-free access | 160 countries #6 | 155 countries #39 |
Economics
Latest available year in brackets
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| GDP nominal | $1,707.8B (2031) | $55.2B (2031) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $117,344 (2031) | $105,456 (2031) |
| GDP growth | 1.2% (2031) | 2.4% (2031) |
| Inflation (CPI) | 2.0% (2031) | 2.5% (2031) |
| Unemployment | 4.5% (2031) | 4.0% (2031) |
| Gini index | 25.7 (2021) | 26.8 (2019) |
| Internet users | 97.0% (2024) | 98.2% (2024) |
| Urban population | 95.9% (2025) | 94.2% (2025) |
| Government debt (% of GDP) | 48.0% (2031) | 43.0% (2031) |
| Trade openness | 150.1% (2025) | 82.5% (2025) |
| Labor force participation | 85.6% (2025) | 87.5% (2025) |
Healthcare
Latest available year in brackets
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 82.0 yrs (2024) | 82.8 yrs (2024) |
Quality of life
Latest available year in brackets
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Life satisfaction | 7.2 (2025) | 7.5 (2025) |
| Healthy life expectancy | 70.0 yrs (2021) | 71.4 yrs (2021) |
| Universal health coverage | 85 (2023) | 90 (2023) |
| Broadband per 100 people | 43.0 (2024) | 37.5 (2024) |
Environment
Latest available year in brackets
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9.6 (2024) | 4.6 (2024) |
| Renewable energy | 51.2% (2025) | 100.0% (2024) |
Demographics and society
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Government | Unitary Parliamentary system | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Languages | Dutch | Icelandic |
| Time zones | UTC+01:00 | UTC |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Education spending | 5.2% of GDP (2022) | 7.3% of GDP (2022) |
| Health spending | 10.0% of GDP (2024) | 9.0% of GDP (2024) |
| Fertility rate | 1.4 (2024) | 1.6 (2024) |
| Birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000 (2024) | 11.2 per 1,000 (2024) |
| Death rate | 9.6 per 1,000 (2024) | 6.8 per 1,000 (2024) |
| Infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) | 2.1 per 1,000 (2024) |
Politics and governance
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Corruption perceptions (CPI) | 78.00 (2026) | 77.00 (2026) |
| Press freedom | 88.6 #3 UE Balkans (2025) | 81.4 #17 UE Balkans (2025) |
| Electoral democracy | 0.83 | 0.81 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.77 | 0.72 |
| Participatory democracy | 0.55 | 0.57 |
Top nomad cities
Nomad score and monthly cost of living
|
NL
Netherlands
|
IS
Iceland
|
|
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Amsterdam 7.1 · $3,527 / mo | Reykjavik 6.2 · $6,601 / mo |
| #2 | Rotterdam 7.0 · $3,753 / mo | Kopavogur 5.5 · $6,615 / mo |
| #3 | The Hague 6.9 · $3,921 / mo | Akureyri 5.4 · $4,930 / mo |
| #4 | Utrecht 6.9 · $3,389 / mo | Keflavik 5.4 · $7,127 / mo |
| #5 | Groningen 6.7 · $3,498 / mo | Hafnarfjordur 5.3 · $4,158 / mo |