Key features of human rights in Iceland
Iceland: Key features of human rights was 0.95 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Key features of human rights in Iceland, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 0.95 for key features of human rights in 2025.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of human rights in Iceland peaked at 0.962 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.893, in 1900.
Iceland ranks 6th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Key features of human rights in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.893 | — |
| 1901 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.906 | +1.5% |
| 1917 | 0.906 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.906 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.911 | +0.6% |
| 1920 | 0.909 | -0.2% |
| 1921 | 0.909 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.909 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.913 | +0.4% |
| 1924 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.907 | -0.7% |
| 1931 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.907 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.899 | -0.9% |
| 1941 | 0.899 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.899 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.899 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.922 | +2.6% |
| 1945 | 0.922 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.925 | +0.3% |
| 1947 | 0.925 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.925 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.925 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.928 | +0.3% |
| 1951 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.928 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.931 | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.932 | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.932 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.936 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 0.936 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.947 | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 0.947 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.947 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.947 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.947 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.947 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.95 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 0.952 | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.96 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.962 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.962 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.96 | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.961 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.96 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.959 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.955 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.953 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.954 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 0.952 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.96 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.955 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.958 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.952 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.952 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.953 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 0.953 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.95 | -0.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.95 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.906, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.95 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8795, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.893 | 0.893 | 0.893 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.8987 | 0.893 | 0.911 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.9118 | 0.909 | 0.913 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.907 | 0.907 | 0.907 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.914 | 0.899 | 0.925 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.928 | 0.928 | 0.928 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9311 | 0.928 | 0.932 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9328 | 0.932 | 0.936 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9488 | 0.947 | 0.952 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9608 | 0.96 | 0.962 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9617 | 0.96 | 0.962 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9568 | 0.952 | 0.96 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.953 | 0.95 | 0.958 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More social development data for Iceland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,459 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0216 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key features of human rights in Iceland?
- Key features of human rights in Iceland was 0.95 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of human rights recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.962 in 1996.
- What is the lowest key features of human rights recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.893 in 1900.
- How does Iceland rank for key features of human rights?
- Iceland ranks 6th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of human rights rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of human rights. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which people are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor, they have property rights, and enjoy the freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association.