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?
The median country is 8% bigger than Iceland.
Iceland: 103,000 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Iceland’s coastline is 11 times as long as the median country’s.
Iceland: 4,970 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 225 m above Iceland’s.
Iceland: 2,110 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 19 times as many people as Iceland.
Iceland: 392,404 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 25 times as densely populated as Iceland.
Iceland: 4 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iceland are 8.6 cm taller than in the median country.
Iceland: 182.1 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iceland are 8.3 cm taller than in the median country.
Iceland: 168.9 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iceland is 4.7 years older than in the median country.
Iceland: 35.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.3 more children on average than in Iceland.
Iceland: 1.56 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Iceland are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Iceland: 16% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iceland: no data · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iceland and the median country are practically level.
Iceland: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 18% larger than Iceland’s.
Iceland: $38.6 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iceland produces 4 times as much per person as the median country.
Iceland: Int$83,431 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Iceland (Gini 7.6 points higher).
Iceland: 26.8 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.6% in Iceland.
Iceland: 3.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iceland: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Iceland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× the median country’s.
Iceland: 118% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iceland spends 16 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Iceland: $7,642 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iceland live 8.2 years longer than in the median country.
Iceland: 82.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iceland.
Iceland: 2.1 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iceland has 2.6 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Iceland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
The median country and Iceland are practically level.
Iceland: 23.5% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 9.2% in Iceland.
Iceland: 9.2% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iceland rate their lives 1.71 points higher than in the median country.
Iceland: 7.54 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Iceland drink 78% more alcohol than in the median country.
Iceland: 7.7 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iceland has 74% more meat per person than the median country.
Iceland: 98.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iceland has 743 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Iceland: 3,681 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 522 more hours a year than in Iceland.
Iceland: 1,452 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iceland went to school 4 years longer than in the median country.
Iceland: 13.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iceland welcomed 16 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019).
Iceland: 5.58 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Iceland are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Iceland: 98% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iceland and the median country are practically level.
Iceland: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
94% of people in Iceland live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Iceland: 94% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iceland has 121 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Iceland: 121 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iceland: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iceland fly 46 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Iceland: 11.07 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 0.5% of Iceland.
Iceland: 0.5% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iceland emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
Iceland: 9.7 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Iceland’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Iceland: 100% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 3.6 times as much fine dust as in Iceland.
Iceland: 4.6 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 75% more likely to be murdered in the median country than in Iceland.
Iceland: 1.3 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 5.1 times as deadly as in Iceland.
Iceland: 2.4 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 20.9 °C warmer than Iceland.
Iceland: 2°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iceland gets 42% more rain than the median country.
Iceland: 1,439 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iceland bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country is 8% bigger than Iceland.
Which has more people, Iceland or the median country?
The median country has 19 times as many people as Iceland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iceland or the median country?
People in Iceland live 8.2 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 82.8 years in Iceland and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Iceland or the median country?
Men in Iceland are 8.6 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).