Denmark or Iceland: which is better?
Country: head-to-head comparison
Iceland wins on more indicators: 8 of 13 against 4.
- Safety and trust: Denmark 2:0
- Costs and work: Iceland 0:1
- Climate and health: Iceland 0:7
- Law and institutions: Denmark 2:0
All indicators weigh the same. This is a score based on data, not advice on where to live: different people have different circumstances.
Denmark
Indicator
Iceland
Safety and trust
Better: Denmark (2 : 0)Organized violence
tie
0.00 deaths per 100,000 residents, 2022–2024
2022–2024
0.00 deaths per 100,000 residents, 2022–2024
2022–2024
Homicides
lower is better
✓0.8 per 100,000 residents
202335% lower
✗1.3 per 100,000 residents
202354% higher
Trust between people
higher is better
✓74%
202219% higher
✗62%
202216% lower
Costs and work
Better: Iceland (0 : 1)GDP per capita
higher is better
$83,218
2025almost equal
✓$83,431
2025almost equal
Climate and health
Better: Iceland (0 : 7)Life expectancy
higher is better
82.3 years
2024almost equal
✓82.8 years
2024almost equal
Life expectancy: men
higher is better
80.4 years
2024almost equal
✓81.2 years
2024almost equal
Life expectancy: women
higher is better
84.2 years
2024almost equal
✓84.5 years
2024almost equal
Median age at death
higher is better
✗84.8 years
20231% lower
✓85.8 years
20231% higher
Infant survival
higher is better
99.65%
2024almost equal
✓99.79%
2024almost equal
Survival of children under 5
higher is better
99.60%
2024almost equal
✓99.72%
2024almost equal
Air (PM2.5)
lower is better
✗7.5 µg/m³ per year
202353% higher
✓4.9 µg/m³ per year
202335% lower
Law and institutions
Better: Denmark (2 : 0)Rule of law
higher is better
✓2.01 WGI index, from −2.5 to 2.5
202525% higher
✗1.61 WGI index, from −2.5 to 2.5
202520% lower
Control of corruption
higher is better
✓2.26 WGI index, from −2.5 to 2.5
202524% higher
✗1.82 WGI index, from −2.5 to 2.5
202519% lower
A winner is named only for indicators with a known “better / worse” direction. Population and other neutral indicators are shown without a winner. Outdated and missing values are not counted. Details for each place: Denmark, Iceland.