LGBT+ Rights Index in Iceland
Iceland: LGBT+ Rights Index was 15.07 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
LGBT+ Rights Index in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 15.07 for lgbt+ rights index in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 104.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lgbt+ rights index in Iceland peaked at 15.07 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2625, in 1991.
That places Iceland 19th out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
LGBT+ Rights Index in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.2625 | — |
| 1992 | 2 | +661.9% |
| 1993 | 1.25 | -37.5% |
| 1994 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4.02 | +221.3% |
| 1997 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4.02 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.96 | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 3.96 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.96 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.96 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4.71 | +18.9% |
| 2011 | 4.71 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6.46 | +37.2% |
| 2013 | 6.46 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7.38 | +14.2% |
| 2015 | 7.38 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7.38 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7.58 | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 9.42 | +24.2% |
| 2019 | 10.96 | +16.4% |
| 2020 | 11.58 | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 12.5 | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 14.33 | +14.7% |
| 2023 | 14.73 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 15.07 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 15.07 | +0.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 15.07 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.11, 1.5× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 15.07 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.28, 1.5× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.45 | 0.2625 | 4.02 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.99 | 3.96 | 4.02 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.24 | 4.71 | 10.96 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.88 | 11.58 | 15.07 | 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 lgbt+ rights index in Iceland?
- Lgbt+ rights index in Iceland was 15.07 in 2025, according to Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 15.07 in 2024.
- What is the lowest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2625 in 1991.
- How does Iceland rank for lgbt+ rights index?
- Iceland ranks 19th out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lgbt+ rights index rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 104.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of LGBT+ Rights Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Summary measure of a country's LGBTI-related laws, calculated by subtracting the sum of its regressive policy scores from the sum of its progressive policy scores.