Iceland
Europe & Central Asia · High income· 393K inhabitants
Last updated: May 27, 2025
Futures readiness profile
Key insights: Iceland
Iceland demonstrates relatively outstanding readiness for the future of education, leading most global peers across all GEFRI dimensions. This country excels particularly in Governance (83, 94th percentile), Infrastructure (79, 95th percentile), and Human Capital (69, 96th percentile). This high across-the-board performance signals a robust foundation for adapting or leapfrogging ahead of the fast-changing demands of education, society, and the workforce. To maintain and extend this leadership, continued policy innovation, investment in emerging areas, and vigilance against complacency are crucial.
Composite GEFRI Score
72.57
88th percentile
Higher scores indicate greater education futures readiness
Component scores
School Access and Gender Parity83.56
Above global avg. · 72nd %-tile
Governance83.49
Above global avg. · 94th %-tile
Captures the effectiveness and quality of policies, regulations, and governance that shape the educational environment.
Infrastructure78.88
Above global avg. · 95th %-tile
Measures the availability and quality of basic digital and electrical infrastructure that supports education.
Human Capital69.33
Above global avg. · 96th %-tile
Assesses the educational attainment and capacity of a country’s population, focusing on access and completion at secondary and tertiary levels as well as literacy.
Innovation47.55
Above global avg. · 72nd %-tile
Reflects a country’s capacity to foster, produce, and apply new knowledge and technology in society and education.
Regional peers: Europe & Central Asia
| Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 83.51 |
| 2 | Netherlands | 80.63 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 79.24 |
| 4 | Sweden | 78.95 |
| 5 | Finland | 78.38 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 77.81 |
| 7 | Austria | 77.77 |
| 8 | Germany | 77.36 |
| 9 | Norway | 77.19 |
| 10 | France | 76.74 |
| 11 | Estonia | 74.99 |
| 12 | Portugal | 74.34 |
| 13 | Slovenia | 73.18 |
| 14 | Lithuania | 73.07 |
| 15 | Belgium | 73.00 |
| 16 | Ireland | 72.60 |
| 17 | Iceland | 72.57 |
| 18 | Czechia | 72.45 |
| 19 | Luxembourg | 72.30 |
| 20 | Poland | 72.06 |
| 21 | Spain | 71.30 |
| 22 | Greece | 71.08 |
| 23 | Cyprus | 70.97 |
| 24 | Channel Islands | 70.92 |
| 25 | Italy | 70.66 |
| 26 | Isle of Man | 70.42 |
| 27 | Monaco | 70.35 |
| 28 | Latvia | 70.07 |
| 29 | Faroe Islands | 69.85 |
| 30 | Liechtenstein | 69.59 |
| 31 | Andorra | 68.90 |
| 32 | Greenland | 68.00 |
| 33 | Hungary | 67.66 |
| 34 | Croatia | 67.25 |
| 35 | Gibraltar | 66.03 |
| 36 | Bulgaria | 65.35 |
| 37 | Serbia | 65.10 |
| 38 | Georgia | 64.34 |
| 39 | San Marino | 63.94 |
| 40 | Moldova | 63.79 |
| 41 | Turkiye | 63.15 |
| 42 | Montenegro | 61.53 |
| 43 | Kosovo | 61.15 |
| 44 | Kazakhstan | 60.98 |
| 45 | Slovak Republic | 60.98 |
| 46 | Russian Federation | 60.45 |
| 47 | North Macedonia | 59.33 |
| 48 | Armenia | 58.05 |
| 49 | Belarus | 56.57 |
| 50 | Albania | 56.34 |
| 51 | Kyrgyz Republic | 56.28 |
| 52 | Uzbekistan | 56.04 |
| 53 | Romania | 55.54 |
| 54 | Ukraine | 54.12 |
| 55 | Azerbaijan | 52.75 |
| 56 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 51.19 |
| 57 | Turkmenistan | 50.26 |
| 58 | Tajikistan | 46.46 |