The duel
- 135× The median country has 135 times as many people as Faroe Islands
- +8.5 years People in Faroe Islands live 8.5 years longer than in the median country
- 3.9× Faroe Islands produces 3.9 times as much per person as the median country
- 2.5× The median country is 2.5 times as densely populated as Faroe Islands
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Faroe Islands’ coastline is 2.5 times as long as the median country’s
Faroe Islands: 1,117 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,453 m above Faroe Islands’
Faroe Islands: 882 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 70% of Faroe Islands, versus 38% of the median country
Faroe Islands: 70.1% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 135 times as many people as Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 54,900 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 2.5 times as densely populated as Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 40 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Faroe Islands is 6.1 years older than in the median country
Faroe Islands: 37.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Faroe Islands and the median country are practically level
Faroe Islands: 1.91 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Faroe Islands are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country
Faroe Islands: 17.8% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Faroe Islands has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Faroe Islands: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 11 times the size of Faroe Islands’
Faroe Islands: $4.05 billion (2024) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Faroe Islands produces 3.9 times as much per person as the median country
Faroe Islands: Int$82,089 (2024) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Faroe Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 2× the median country’s
Faroe Islands: 90% (2024) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Faroe Islands live 8.5 years longer than in the median country
Faroe Islands: 83.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Faroe Islands are online, versus 82% in the median country
Faroe Islands: 98% (2017) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 19% faster than in Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 135 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Faroe Islands and the median country are practically level
Faroe Islands: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 40% in Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 40% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Faroe Islands 106
Faroe Islands: 106 (2022) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 0.1% of Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 0.1% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Faroe Islands emits 4.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country
Faroe Islands: 13.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Faroe Islands’ electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Faroe Islands: 46.9% (2023) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 4 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Faroe Islands: no data · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 15.5 °C warmer than Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: 7.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Faroe Islands gets 5% more rain than the median country
Faroe Islands: 1,066 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Which has more people, Faroe Islands or the median country?
The median country has 135 times as many people as Faroe Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Faroe Islands or the median country?
People in Faroe Islands live 8.5 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Faroe Islands and 74.6 in the median country.