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Life Expectancy in the Land of Fire and Ice
Olivia Musick
Department of Anthropology, Catholic University of America
ANTH 341: Medical Anthropology
Dr. Jamie Barret
April 8, 2022
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Life Expectancy in the Land of Fire and Ice
With great progress in developed countries comes increased life expectancy.
Advancements in society such as technology, medical care, public health initiatives, and new
political systems have markedly increased life expectancies. Iceland is one such country with a
life expectancy of eighty-three (Roser et al., 2013). Iceland is a relatively small island country
located in the North Atlantic. As of 2020, Iceland has a population of just over 350,000, with
most of the population concentrated in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík (World Bank Group, 2021).
Additionally, Iceland’s population is ethnically homogenous – less than one-tenth of the
population is non-Icelandic – a result of a lack of immigration (Kristinsson. 2021). With
extremely low rates of infant mortality and high rates of the population expected to survive past
sixty-five, Iceland boasts a remarkable life expectancy that, in many ways, is unparalleled in the
developed world (OECD, Infant Mortality, 2021). Various factors influence Iceland’s higherthan-average life expectancies, such as safety, social support, affordable healthcare, high literacy
rates, diet, clean air and water, low rates of substance abuse, gender equality, access to basic
amenities, and genetics. This essay will focus on healthcare, literacy, clean air and water, and
safety and social support.
Affordable and Accessible Healthcare
Iceland is an exemplary model of affordable and accessible healthcare. Iceland’s
insurance is considered social insurance, financed by taxation managed by local and central
government (Kristinsson, 2021). Healthcare policy in Iceland stipulates a maximum cost per
month a person pays for healthcare; Icelandic Health Insurance includes primary healthcare and
hospital visits, as well as psychology, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy
services (Info Norden, n.d.). Inpatient care as well as tests and medications required during
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hospitalization (European Commission, 2019, p. 9). Moreover, Iceland provides welfare services,
including unemployment insurance, old-age and disability pensions, family and childbearing
allowances, and sickness benefits. Icelanders generally report low unmet needs for medical care
(European Commission, 2019, p. 3).
The effects of Iceland’s affordable and accessible healthcare are evidenced in Iceland’s
low rates of preventable and treatable causes of mortality (cancers, respiratory infections, and
cardiovascular diseases most notably), with treatable causes ranking lowest throughout the
European Union; also below the EU’s average are Iceland’s low rates of avoidable admissions,
low average length of stay, and a decreased number of hospital beds per population (European
Commission, 2019, p. 12-19). These numbers reflect an improved quality of care for Icelanders,
especially those with chronic diseases. However, like all countries, Iceland is not without issues.
Unfortunately, Iceland suffers from long wait times, high unmet needs for dental and other
specialty care, increased rates of overweight and obesity, a lack of general practitioners, and a
nursing shortage (European Commission, 2019, p. 22). For example, Iceland provides reduced
cost, sometimes nearly free, dental care to children, pensioners, and the elderly, but adult dental
care is not free or available at a reduced cost (Multicultural Information Centre, 2021).
Nonetheless, Iceland’s government has and will continue to sponsor its citizens’ health.
Each year, it continues to improve the way Icelanders afford and access healthcare. At an already
above-average life expectancy, one can only expect to witness continued growth in the life and
health of those living in Iceland.
Literacy
Iceland is widely recognized as one of the most literate countries globally. Iceland’s
education level consists of four tiers: preschool, compulsory, upper secondary, and higher
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education, with preschool largely subsidized by local government and compulsory free, and
mandatory for children ages six to sixteen (Elder, 2020). Iceland guides its education based upon
the principle that, “everyone should have equal opportunities to acquire an education,
irrespective of sex, economic status, residential location, religion, possible handicap, and cultural
or social background” (Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture, n.d.). Much of Iceland’s
upper secondary and higher education has no tuition save for administrative fees and for those
wishing to attend a private institution; in higher education, accessible student loans cover living
and school material expenses (Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture, n.d.).
As a result of Iceland’s dedication to quality, cost-friendly, and accessible education, the
country boasts a literacy rate of ninety-nine percent (Elder, 2020). Education, and by extension
literacy, is a vital aspect of health literacy, “the degree to which individuals have the ability to
find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions
for themselves and others” (National Institutes of Health, 2021). Though literacy and health
literacy are not the same, there is a strong correlation between the two. Strong literacy and
numeracy skills allow for more understanding and participation in health services, and studies
show patients with inadequate literacy have “less health-related knowledge, receive less
preventive care, have poorer control of their chronic illnesses, and are hospitalized more
frequently than other patients” (Dewalt & Pignone, 2005). While there is still room for
misunderstanding for even the most educated people, healthcare professionals notwithstanding,
increased literacy in patients is likely to decrease incidences of misunderstanding and increase
dialogue between patients and their providers. Understanding one’s diagnoses, medications, and
treatment plans is imperative to continue living a long and healthy life. Equal education may not
solve the issue of health literacy completely, but at least it won’t make the problem any worse.
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Clean Air and Water
The land of fire and ice is renowned for its clean air and water. Due to Iceland’s
geography, freshwater is abundant and near perfectly clean, unpolluted water. Water from
aquifers provides drinking water, geothermal water heats indoors, and power from geothermal
steam and glacial rivers generates electricity (Ministry of the Environment, Energy, and Climate,
n.d.). Additionally, all homes have septic systems, and water quality is continuously monitored
by both environmental and health agencies (Ólafsson, 2012). Access to clean drinking water is a
vital social determinant of health, and Icelanders are fortunate to have access to some of the
world’s purest water. Iceland can avoid common illnesses associated with contaminated water,
such as cholera or dysentery, which plague countries that lack clean water and proper sanitation.
As a result of Iceland’s water use for purposes other than hydration, almost all the energy
comes from a renewable source. Iceland utilizes the seasonal melting of glaciers, which feed
glacial rivers running from the mountains to the sea, for hydropower and uses geothermal energy
to provide electricity and heating (homes, pools, and even melting snow off the sidewalk), in
addition to power for greenhouse cultivation, fish farming, food processing, and cosmetics
production (Logadóttir, 2013). Only transportation requires the use of fossil fuels still, though
reliance is slowly waning. Iceland’s strategic use of its natural, renewable resources allows for
clean air, unpolluted by smog and carcinogens, and clean water, unpolluted by acid run-off and
wastewater. Moreover, Iceland can avoid common illnesses associated with air pollution, such as
asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, cardiovascular disease,
neurological disorders, and cancer.
Integral to Iceland’s clean air and water is governmental support. The local government
engaged the public to show the appeal of renewable energy. Legal framework and governmental
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incentives were key to quickening the transition to renewable energy. Local municipalities, the
government, and the public fostered a unified and connected dialogue surrounding the
importance of renewable energy to build trust between citizens and their government, which
proved helpful as renewable energy spread from the capital to other municipalities (Logadóttir,
2013).
Safety and Social Support
Iceland is considered one of the safest and most peaceful places globally. Violence is not
in the Icelandic vernacular. Icelanders rarely feel divided, whether it be by gender, class,
orientation, ability, etc. The country’s welfare and education promote an egalitarian culture.
Though Iceland has an upper, middle, and lower class, tensions between economic groups are
near nonexistent – despite Icelanders being well aware of class and division among them; in a
University of Missouri study, most Icelanders identify somewhere in the middle class, with only
less than two percent identifying as either upper or lower class (Oddsson, 2009, p. 25). In the
aforementioned study, respondents’ answers reflected an understanding and comprehension of
class terms, perhaps a reflection of Iceland’s commitment to providing an exemplary, equitable
education to all its citizens (Oddsson, 2009, p. 34).
As of 2018, Iceland’s homicide rate is .891 per 100,000 people (United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime, 2019). This is not a result of a lack of weapons – roughly one in every three
Icelanders owns a gun – and Iceland has not had a gun-related murder since 2007 (Smith &
Banic, 2018). Iceland has strict gun laws regarding what types of firearms can be owned, the
process to obtain a firearm, the sale and importation of guns, background checks (which includes
a medical examination), training (which incorporates a written test), and licensing requirements
(Alpers & Wilson, 2022). In Iceland, police officers on routine patrol do not carry firearms, and
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only special forces police have guns, the latter of which are rarely deployed (Clarke, 2013). As
an incredibly safe and equitable society (at the very least, compared to other developed
countries), Iceland’s citizens can enjoy society and participate in what their country and life have
to offer them. For example, while people in other countries are hesitant to complete physical
activity outdoors due to living in an unsafe environment, Icelanders can complete physical
activity free from the burdens of living or working in an unsafe environment. Thus, if Icelanders
were to take advantage of the security they feel by perhaps taking a brisk walk every night after
work, they can directly contribute to a greater life longevity by participating in physical activity,
a known indicator of healthy living and life longevity.
Furthermore, the safety Icelanders feel is enhanced by their feeling of great social
support. In times of need, social support is crucial – many Icelanders feel they have someone
they can count on. Iceland ranks fourth in citizens who feel they have social support (97.5%),
trailing behind Norway, 98.3%, Denmark, 98.8%, and Finland, 99.0% (OECD, Social Support,
2021). Social support is central to happy, healthy living. Isolation and loneliness increase
incidences of physical and emotional issues, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, weak
immune systems, depression, and anxiety.
Conclusion
In summation, Iceland’s advancements in medical care, public health initiatives, new
political systems, and social progression have markedly increased life expectancy in Iceland. In
addition, affordable and accessible healthcare, high literacy rates, clean air and water, and safety
all greatly contribute to Iceland’s life expectancy of eight-three years old.
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