Photo: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Iceland: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Iceland is placed 37th of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 97.5 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.883 (2025).
Share
Gender & Equality
37th
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
- 97.5Women, Business and the Law, 2025WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.883Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- 17.12Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025Firms with a female top manager (%)
- —Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Iceland on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
97.5
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Iceland: 97.5. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 3.125 (Afghanistan) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.
- World median
- 81.25
- Best in Northern Europe
- 100 4 countries
Key 2 of 4
Women's Political Empowerment Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.883
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Iceland: 0.883. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.
- World median
- 0.772
- Best in Northern Europe
- 0.954 Denmark
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Iceland’s is from 2024 · CC BY 4.0
17.12
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
Iceland: 17.12. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.
- World median
- 19.16
- Best in Northern Europe
- 24.14 Latvia
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
No reading
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
OECD publishes no 2023 figure for Iceland, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.
- World median
- 25.2
- Best in Northern Europe
- 6.7 Norway
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.
Women, Business and the Law
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) · higher is better
IcelandWorld median
Iceland rose from 94.38 in 2000 to 97.5 in 2025; the world median went from 63.13 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Iceland World median 2025 98 81.3 2023 100 81.3 2022 100 80.3 2021 100 80.0 2020 100 79.7 2019 100 78.8 2018 100 77.5 2017 100 77.5 2016 100 76.9 2015 97 75.9 2014 97 75.6 2013 97 75.0 2012 97 73.8 2011 94 73.1 2010 94 73.1 2009 94 72.5 2008 94 71.3 2007 94 69.7 2006 94 68.8 2005 94 67.2 2004 94 66.9 2003 94 64.7 2002 94 63.8 2001 94 63.8 2000 94 63.1 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
IcelandWorld median
Iceland fell from 0.923 in 2000 to 0.883 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Iceland World median 2025 0.883 0.7715 2024 0.891 0.7745 2023 0.900 0.7755 2022 0.935 0.7825 2021 0.929 0.7785 2020 0.927 0.7755 2019 0.918 0.7665 2018 0.919 0.7715 2017 0.926 0.7710 2016 0.922 0.7780 2015 0.919 0.7755 2014 0.920 0.7795 2013 0.918 0.7730 2012 0.920 0.7740 2011 0.923 0.7650 2010 0.921 0.7610 2009 0.920 0.7515 2008 0.923 0.7505 2007 0.923 0.7380 2006 0.922 0.7290 2005 0.919 0.7350 2004 0.919 0.7205 2003 0.919 0.7160 2002 0.921 0.7150 2001 0.921 0.6950 2000 0.923 0.6810
03In context
Iceland beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, 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 183; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Women, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) | Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1) | Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%) | Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Latvia | 1st | 100 | 0.95 | 24.14 | 12.8 |
 Lithuania | 6th | 93.75 | 0.926 | 22.91 | 12.3 |
 Norway | 11th | 96.88 | 0.926 | 17.56 | 6.7 |
 Sweden | =15th | 100 | 0.923 | 12.89 | 8.8 |
 Finland | 17th | 97.5 | 0.932 | 15.75 | 12.1 |
 Estonia | 20th | 97.5 | 0.941 | 16 | 13.1 |
 Ireland | 22nd | 100 | 0.927 | 16.12 | 14.3 |
 Denmark | 31st | 100 | 0.954 | 9.476 | 15.2 |
| Iceland | 37th | 97.5 | 0.883 | 17.12 | — |
 United Kingdom | 46th | 97.5 | 0.838 | 12.3 | 12 |
| 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 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
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 gender & equality, 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.
Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 31803No real change since 2015
Iceland: 180 · world median 3 · Paid paternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 196; higher is better.
Global Gender Parity IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 2022 · world median 0.7260.9140.726No earlier reading
Iceland: 0.914 · world median 0.726 · Global Gender Parity Index (women's achievements relative to men's; 1 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women, 2023 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.141 to 0.925; higher is better.
Women's Empowerment IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 2022 · world median 0.6150.8160.615No earlier reading
Iceland: 0.816 · world median 0.615 · Women's Empowerment Index (0–1; higher = more empowerment). UNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women, 2023 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.141 to 0.828; higher is better.
Account Ownership Among WomenWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 71.2499.771.24No real change since 2021
Iceland: 99.7 · world median 71.24 · Women with an account (% of women aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.91 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 3rd of 139 · derived.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.0240.351No real change since 2013
Iceland: 0.024 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 7th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.653.0246.65No real change since 2013
Iceland: 3.02 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 185th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.1258.7635.12No earlier reading
Iceland: 58.76 · world median 35.12 · Firms with at least one woman among the owners (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.273 to 86.78; higher is better.
Position 11th of 181 · derived.
Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 9818098▲ Improved since 2015
Iceland: 180 · world median 98 · Paid maternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 410; higher is better.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.463.36927.46▲ Improved since 2013
Iceland: 3.369 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 203rd of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3670.0153.36▼ Worsened since 2015
Iceland: 70.01 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 18th of 182 · derived.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.9830.971▲ Improved since 2013
Iceland: 0.983 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 61st of 184 · derived.
Behind the world median1
Statistics on which Iceland does worse than the middle country measured.
Births Attended by Skilled Health StaffUNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance) · 2023 · world median 99.397.699.3▼ Worsened since 2013
Iceland: 97.6 · world median 99.3 · Births attended by skilled health staff (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 60.9 to 100; higher is better.
Position 64th of 84 · derived.
No better end7
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.6532.424.65No earlier reading
Iceland: 32.4 · world median 24.65 · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years). UN DESA Population Division, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 17 to 34.
Female Share of STEM GraduatesUIS · 2023 · world median 35.343.2935.3Moved since 2018
Iceland: 43.29 · world median 35.3 · STEM graduates who are women (%; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.333 to 55.96.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1106105.1Moved since 2013
Iceland: 106 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.
Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · 2026 · world median 33.2139.2433.21No earlier reading
Iceland: 39.24 · world median 33.21 · Households headed by a woman (% of households). UN DESA Population Division, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 5.33 to 64.59.
Caesarean Section RateUNICEF · 2025 · world median 20.6516.920.65No earlier reading
Iceland: 16.9 · world median 20.65 · Live births delivered by caesarean section (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 72.2.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1732.9138.17No earlier reading
Iceland: 32.91 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
Women's Share of Agricultural LandownersFAO · 2025 · world median 25.6416.825.64No earlier reading
Iceland: 16.8 · world median 25.64 · Women's share of owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.16 to 57.8.
No current reading for Iceland
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Child Marriage, Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern Methods, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management (last 2023), Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment (last 2023), Gender Social Norms Index, Institutional Deliveries, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Social Institutions and Gender Index and Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife. 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
Gender & Equality among Iceland’s 16 topics
Gender & Equality is Iceland’s 11th 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 gender & equality
The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Iceland can most readily be measured against.
1LatviaNorthern Europe
1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
TaiwanEastern Asia
2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
ItalySouthern Europe
3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Europe
Latvia1st4/4 keysThis page
Iceland37th3/4 keys
Positions out of 183 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 gender & equality: 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 gender & equality?
Iceland is placed 37th of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index and Firms with a Female Top Manager). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Iceland?
97.5 in 2025 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.
What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Iceland?
0.883 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.
How have Iceland’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 94.38 in 2000 to 97.5 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index fell from 0.923 in 2000 to 0.883 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Iceland?
No current reading is published for Iceland on Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Child Marriage, Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern Methods, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment, Gender Social Norms Index, Institutional Deliveries, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Social Institutions and Gender Index and Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife. 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
Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.
How the Gender & Equality 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 gender & equality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firms with a Female Top Manager — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Social Institutions and Gender Index — OECD, OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
The other 19 statistics on this page come from 10 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
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Iceland: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/iceland/gender