Iceland vs Russia
Russia is 166 times larger than Iceland. Iceland would fit into Russia about 166 times.
IcelandRussiaIceland moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.01×
Iceland is 0.01× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 166× the size of Iceland.
 Iceland |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 166× the area | 103,004 km²#106 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 366× the population | 392,404#172 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRussia: 2.21× the density | 3.8 / km²#191 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationIceland: 1.25× the urban share | 94%#12 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIceland: 1.1× the births per woman | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIceland: 1.62 points higher | +1.51%#68 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIceland: 1.33× the birth rate | 11.2 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.82× the death rate | 6.8 per 1,000#112 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iceland: 0.5 points higher | 17.5%#135 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 1.8 points higher | 16.0%#51 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIceland: 8.7 per 1,000 higher | +6.9 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIceland: 9.4 years longer | 82.8 years#21 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRussia: 1.95× the infant mortality | 2.1 per 1,000 births#180 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.17× the doctors per person | 4.37 per 1,000#21 of 178 · 2023 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentIceland: 1.27× the university enrolment | 76.5%#35 of 145 · 2023 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexIceland: 0.140 higher | 0.972#1 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIceland: 5.59× the income per person | $89,220#4 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 66.4× the economy | $38.58B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iceland: 1.68× the output per person | $83,431#11 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIceland: 0.3 points higher | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 4.6 points higher | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIceland: 1.71× the unemployment | 3.6%#119 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2019 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Russia: 6.2 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2019 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureRussia: 1.5 points higher | 3.6% of jobs#141 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 7.6 points higher | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIceland: 9.0 points higher | 78.1% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentRussia: 2.6 points higher | -2.2% of GDP#176 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIceland: 21.9 points higher | 40.1% of GDP#71 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIceland: 1.04× the share online | 98%#10 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.54× the mobile subscriptions | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 84.7× the forest share | 1% of land#184 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.64× the CO₂ per person | 8.52 t a year#22 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIceland: 78.9 points higher | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Russia: 2.37× the air pollution | 4.9 µg/m³#183 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIceland: 9.4 points higher | 20.9% of land#80 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRussia: 6.2 points higher | 1.2% of land#170 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRussia: 10.2× the water stress | 0.4%#167 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIceland: 4.22× the rain and snow | 1,940 mm#36 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIceland: 2.26 higher | +1.32#10 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIceland: 2.80 higher | +1.82#11 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 5.23× the homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicunitary parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | NATO, Schengen Area, OECD | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Moscow |
| Currency | Icelandic króna (ISK) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Icelandic | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +354 | +7 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Eastern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Iceland sits at about 65° N and is stretched to 5.6× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Iceland bigger than Russia?
- No. Iceland is 166 times smaller than Russia. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Russia?
- About 166 times: Russia has 166× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Iceland and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iceland is drawn about 5.6× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Iceland or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Iceland: $89,220 against $15,960 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 5.59× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iceland or Russia?
- In Iceland: life expectancy at birth is 82.8 years, against 73.4 — 9.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iceland and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iceland: parliamentary republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.