Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iceland fits inside the United Kingdom 2.4 times.
Iceland: 103,000 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 2.5 times as long as Iceland’s.
Iceland: 4,970 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iceland’s highest peak towers 765 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Iceland: 2,110 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 177 times as many people as Iceland.
Iceland: 392,404 (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 74 times as densely populated as Iceland.
Iceland: 4 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iceland are 3.9 cm taller than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 182.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iceland are 5.0 cm taller than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 168.9 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 4 years older than in Iceland.
Iceland: 35.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iceland have 0.0 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 1.56 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 16% in Iceland.
Iceland: 16% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iceland: no data · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iceland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Iceland: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 104 times the size of Iceland’s.
Iceland: $38.6 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iceland produces 29% more per person than the United Kingdom.
Iceland: Int$83,431 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in Iceland (Gini 5.6 points higher).
Iceland: 26.8 (2019) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 3.6% in Iceland.
Iceland: 3.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iceland: no data · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Iceland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the United Kingdom’s.
Iceland: 118% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iceland spends 30% more on health per person than the United Kingdom.
Iceland: $7,642 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Iceland live 1.4 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 82.8 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iceland.
Iceland: 2.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iceland has 32% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 24% in Iceland.
Iceland: 23.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 9.2% in Iceland.
Iceland: 9.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iceland rate their lives 0.85 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 7.54 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 35% more alcohol than in Iceland.
Iceland: 7.7 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iceland has 16% more meat per person than the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 98.1 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iceland has 246 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 3,681 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Kingdom put in 71 more hours a year than in Iceland.
Iceland: 1,452 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iceland went to school 0.42 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 13.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iceland welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019).
Iceland: 5.58 (2019) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Iceland are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 98% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iceland and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Iceland: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
94% of people in Iceland live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 94% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iceland 121.
Iceland: 121 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iceland: no data · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iceland fly 6.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 11.07 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 0.5% of Iceland.
Iceland: 0.5% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iceland emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 9.7 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Iceland’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 91% more fine dust than in Iceland.
Iceland: 4.6 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 15% more likely to be murdered in Iceland than in the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 1.3 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Iceland and the United Kingdom are nearly identical here.
Iceland: 2.4 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Kingdom is on average 7.9 °C warmer than Iceland.
Iceland: 2°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iceland gets 34% more rain than the United Kingdom.
Iceland: 1,439 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iceland bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Iceland fits inside the United Kingdom 2.4 times.
Which has more people, Iceland or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 177 times as many people as Iceland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iceland or the United Kingdom?
People in Iceland live 1.4 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 82.8 years in Iceland and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Iceland or the United Kingdom?
Men in Iceland are 3.9 cm taller than in the United Kingdom (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
