Photo: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 17 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Iceland: Digital & Technology
How ready is a country to use, make and trade technology?
Iceland is placed joint 68th of 198 countries on digital & technology in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: GovTech Maturity Index 0.948 (2025); Government AI Readiness Index 60.49 (2025).
Share
Digital & Technology
joint68th
of 198 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 0.948GovTech Maturity Index, 2025GTMI score (0–1)
- 60.49Government AI Readiness Index, 2025AI readiness score (0–100)
- -0.579Government Cyber Security Capacity, 2025Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
- 21.39Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports, 2024Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Iceland on digital & technology — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
0.948
GTMI score (0–1)
Higher is better
Iceland: 0.948. Across the 196 countries in this edition, values run from 0.01 (North Korea) to 0.997 (South Korea); the world median is 0.63.
- World median
- 0.63
- Best in Northern Europe
- 0.99 Estonia
60.49
AI readiness score (0–100)
Higher is better
Ranked 44th of 195 by Oxford Insights
Iceland: 60.49. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 12.12 (Guinea-Bissau) to 88.36 (United States); the world median is 40.19.
- World median
- 40.19
- Best in Northern Europe
- 77.75 United Kingdom
Key 3 of 4
Government Cyber Security Capacity
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
-0.579
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
Higher is better
Iceland: -0.579. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from -2.66 (Liberia) to 3.715 (Estonia); the world median is 0.196.
- World median
- 0.196
- Best in Northern Europe
- 3.715 Estonia
Key 4 of 4
Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
21.39
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
Higher is better
Iceland: 21.39. Across the 170 countries in this edition, values run from 0.377 (Gambia) to 87.15 (Ireland); the world median is 25.42.
- World median
- 25.42
- Best in Northern Europe
- 87.15 Ireland
02Over time
Which way Iceland is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Government AI Readiness Index
AI readiness score (0–100) · higher is better
IcelandWorld median
Iceland rose from 57.63 in 2020 to 60.49 in 2025; the world median went from 39.58 to 40.19.
Every year’s figures
Year Iceland World median 2025 60.5 40.2 2024 69.8 43.3 2023 69.6 41.4 2022 59.8 40.3 2021 58.5 44.1 2020 57.6 39.6 Government Cyber Security Capacity
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity · higher is better
IcelandWorld median
Iceland rose from -1.034 in 2000 to -0.579 in 2025; the world median went from -0.514 to 0.196.
Every year’s figures
Year Iceland World median 2025 -0.6 0.20 2024 1.5 0.11 2023 0.2 0.14 2022 0.2 0.16 2021 0.2 0.12 2020 0.2 0.12 2019 1.6 0.10 2018 -1.0 -0.05 2017 -1.0 -0.08 2016 -1.0 -0.10 2015 -1.0 -0.17 2014 -1.0 -0.21 2013 -1.0 -0.21 2012 -1.0 -0.25 2011 -1.0 -0.32 2010 -1.0 -0.31 2009 -1.0 -0.50 2008 -1.0 -0.51 2007 -1.0 -0.51 2006 -1.0 -0.55 2005 -1.0 -0.55 2004 -1.0 -0.55 2003 -1.0 -0.55 2002 -1.0 -0.51 2001 -1.0 -0.51 2000 -1.0 -0.51 Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) · higher is better
IcelandWorld median
Iceland rose from 20.99 in 2013 to 21.39 in 2024; the world median went from 20.5 to 25.42.
Every year’s figures
Year Iceland World median 2024 21.39 25.42 2023 21.86 26.03 2022 23.99 26.04 2021 32.37 29.80 2020 42.56 29.47 2019 18.62 18.36 2018 16.68 20.09 2017 16.55 18.32 2016 18.25 18.15 2015 21.81 19.57 2014 21.87 21.00 2013 20.99 20.50 2012 — 19.56 2011 — 19.21 2010 — 19.88
03In context
Iceland beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 198 countries on digital & technology, never a place within the region.
Iceland and Northern Europe
Iceland has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 198; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | GovTech Maturity IndexGTMI score (0–1) | Government AI Readiness IndexAI readiness score (0–100) | Government Cyber Security CapacityOriginal latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity | Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsDigitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Estonia | =1st | 0.99 | 69.56 | 3.715 | 56.16 |
 United Kingdom | 6th | 0.858 | 77.75 | 1.2 | 77.29 |
 Sweden | =11th | 0.797 | 69.45 | 1.629 | 72.82 |
 Finland | 17th | 0.837 | 70.3 | 0.797 | 68.56 |
 Denmark | =18th | 0.928 | 74.75 | 1.533 | 31.65 |
 Lithuania | =18th | 0.889 | 65.31 | 2.163 | 34.62 |
 Latvia | 25th | 0.898 | 59.14 | 1.922 | 44.91 |
 Ireland | =28th | 0.897 | 70.58 | -0.164 | 87.15 |
 Norway | 44th | 0.779 | 74.84 | 0.705 | 38.7 |
| Iceland | =68th | 0.948 | 60.49 | -0.579 | 21.39 |
| Channel Islands | not placed | — | — | — | — |
 Faroe Islands | not placed | — | — | — | — |
 Isle of Man | not placed | — | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Northern Europe
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 198.
Placed either side on digital & technology
The countries immediately above and below Iceland in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Iceland is ahead of the world, and behind
19 more statistics filed under digital & technology, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median11
Statistics on which Iceland does better than the middle country measured.
Internet Use Among AdultsWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 83.0598.8383.05No earlier reading
Iceland: 98.83 · world median 83.05 · Adults who used the internet in the past three months (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.06 to 99.12; higher is better.
Position 2nd of 140 · derived.
Share of Firms' Payments Made ElectronicallyWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 64.2299.8164.22No earlier reading
Iceland: 99.81 · world median 64.22 · Payments made electronically in a typical month, excluding payroll and payments to government (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 2.172 to 99.91; higher is better.
Smartphone OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 78.7896.9778.78No earlier reading
Iceland: 96.97 · world median 78.78 · Adults whose main mobile phone is a smartphone (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 8.663 to 97.36; higher is better.
Position 4th of 140 · derived.
Mobile Phone OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 91.6899.0791.68No earlier reading
Iceland: 99.07 · world median 91.68 · Adults who own a mobile phone (% of population aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 45.83 to 100; higher is better.
Position 7th of 140 · derived.
Firms with Their Own WebsiteWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 62.3991.8162.39No earlier reading
Iceland: 91.81 · world median 62.39 · Firms with their own website (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.824 to 97.88; higher is better.
Position 18th of 181 · derived.
Government Social Media CensorshipV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 0.5051.9140.505▲ Improved since 2015
Iceland: 1.914 · world median 0.505 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4.5 to +2.4); higher = less censorship. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.721 to 2.295; higher is better.
Position 19th of 176 · derived.
Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 2023 · world median 0.4850.7690.485No real change since 2013
Iceland: 0.769 · world median 0.485 · Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1; higher is better.
Position 29th of 170 · derived.
Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic)V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median -0.1141.129-0.114▼ Worsened since 2015
Iceland: 1.129 · world median -0.114 · Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.392 to 2.93; higher is better.
Position 39th of 176 · derived.
Primary Schools with Internet for TeachingUIS · 2024 · world median 98.6610098.66No real change since 2016
Iceland: 100 · world median 98.66 · Primary schools with internet access for teaching (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Government Internet ShutdownsV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 1.0231.6961.023No real change since 2015
Iceland: 1.696 · world median 1.023 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4 to +2); higher = fewer shutdowns. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.547 to 2.081; higher is better.
Position 50th of 176 · derived.
Firms Experiencing Internet DisruptionsWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 32.3525.9232.35No earlier reading
Iceland: 25.92 · world median 32.35 · Firms that experienced internet outages or slow-downs (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0.735 to 82.39; lower is better.
Position 107th of 163 · derived, 1st = worst.
Behind the world median2
Statistics on which Iceland does worse than the middle country measured.
ICT Services ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 7.4747.3287.474No real change since 2014
Iceland: 7.328 · world median 7.474 · ICT services exports (% of services exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 56.25; higher is better.
Position 62nd of 118 · derived.
ICT Goods ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 0.9750.380.975▲ Improved since 2014
Iceland: 0.38 · world median 0.975 · ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 61.45; higher is better.
Position 78th of 119 · derived.
Level with the median, or no median to compare1
Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness IndexOECD · 2025 · world median 0.2060.2060.206▼ Worsened since 2015
Iceland: 0.206 · world median 0.206 · Digital STRI (0 = open, 1 = closed). OECD, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.021 to 0.649; lower is better.
Position 65th of 125 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Anthropic AI Usage IndexAnthropic · 2026 · world median 0.964.020.96No earlier reading
Iceland: 4.02 · world median 0.96 · Claude usage index (1 = in proportion to working-age population). Anthropic, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0.07 to 6.4.
GitHub RepositoriesGitHub · 2026 · world median 141,45498,021141,454Moved since 2020
Iceland: 98,021 · world median 141,454 · Public repositories located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 142 to 77,284,974.
GitHub DevelopersGitHub · 2026 · world median 84,67042,92784,670Moved since 2020
Iceland: 42,927 · world median 84,670 · Developer accounts located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 110 to 32,410,529.
GitHub Git PushesGitHub · 2025 · world median 148,71469,334148,714Moved since 2020
Iceland: 69,334 · world median 148,714 · Git pushes during the quarter. GitHub, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,967 to 40,768,192.
Share of Graduates from ICT ProgrammesUIS · 2023 · world median 5.6013.7885.601Moved since 2018
Iceland: 3.788 · world median 5.601 · Tertiary graduates from ICT programmes (% of all graduates). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 17.19.
No current reading for Iceland
AI User Share of the Working-Age Population and Made or Received a Digital Payment (last 2021). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Digital & Technology among Iceland’s 16 topics
Digital & Technology is Iceland’s 13th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Peace & Security1st of 1773/4 keys
- Work & Labour1st of 1824/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation4th of 1763/4 keys
- Energy5th of 1653/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience8th of 1934/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality8th of 1593/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties11th of 1984/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital14th of 1963/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeing15th of 2003/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 19th of 1944/4 keys
- Gender & Equality37th of 1833/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge56th of 1983/4 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 68th of 1984/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture70th of 1844/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade93rd of 1774/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 118th of 1863/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on digital & technology
The three countries placed highest of 198, and the leaders Iceland can most readily be measured against.
=1EstoniaNorthern Europe
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee, greyscale
=1
South KoreaEastern Asia
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia
3rd of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Europe
Estonia=1st4/4 keysThis page
Iceland=68th4/4 keys
Positions out of 198 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Iceland on digital & technology: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Iceland rank on digital & technology?
Iceland is placed joint 68th of 198 countries on Digital & Technology in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (GovTech Maturity Index, Government AI Readiness Index, Government Cyber Security Capacity and Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest GovTech Maturity Index figure for Iceland?
0.948 in 2025 (gTMI score (0–1)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.63.
What is the latest Government AI Readiness Index figure for Iceland?
60.49 in 2025 (aI readiness score (0–100)), according to Oxford Insights. The world median in the same edition was 40.19.
How have Iceland’s digital & technology figures changed?
Government AI Readiness Index rose from 57.63 in 2020 to 60.49 in 2025; Government Cyber Security Capacity rose from -1.034 in 2000 to -0.579 in 2025; Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports rose from 20.99 in 2013 to 21.39 in 2024.
Which digital & technology statistics are missing for Iceland?
No current reading is published for Iceland on AI User Share of the Working-Age Population and Made or Received a Digital Payment. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Broadband and mobile subscriptions, connection speeds and the cost of getting online are absent, for the licence reason above; internet use and phone ownership, from the World Bank’s own household survey, and firms’ websites and internet disruptions, from its Enterprise Surveys, are published here as context. The ICT share of goods exports votes under Mobility & Trade. Digital public services and data-protection law are not held yet. Research and development spending is filed under Education & Knowledge, and what an economy knows how to make is under Economy & Innovation.
How the Digital & Technology standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The digital & technology method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- GovTech Maturity Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Government AI Readiness Index — Oxford Insights, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Government Cyber Security Capacity — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 19 statistics on this page come from 7 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Iceland’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Iceland (banner) — Hansueli Krapf, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Estonia — Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Iceland: Digital & Technology — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/iceland/digital