country profile

Iceland

Europe & Central AsiaHigh income387K population

Last updated May 3, 2026

Composite GEFRI Score

Progressing readiness

Iceland shows progressing readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (87th percentile worldwide). Reforms are translating into broader capability, though uneven performance continues to slow system-wide alignment. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

71.49Composite score

Global percentile: 87th
Global rank: #25
Regional rank: #16
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

73.30

93rd percentileGlobal avg. 54.77

Human Capital

64.32

93rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.01

Innovation

47.11

60th percentileGlobal avg. 45.21

Governance

83.61

93rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.75

Access & Parity

89.08

85th percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Iceland shows strong future-readiness momentum, with clear strengths in Governance (84, 93rd percentile), Infrastructure (73, 93rd percentile), and Human Capital (64, 93rd percentile).

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation. Strong tertiary enrollment expands future talent pipelines and strengthens national innovation potential.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy and regulatory teams coordinate effectively, keeping reforms aligned and providing the stability needed for long-term educational planning. Gender parity leans toward boys in secondary pathways, signalling persistent barriers for girls.

Regionally, Iceland leads most clearly in Governance, sitting well above the peer average.

Areas with room to grow: Innovation (47, 60th percentile). These dimensions sit close to global norms and could accelerate quickly with targeted investment.

Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.

Key insights

Sits above the global median at the 87th percentile.
Places 25th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 16th within Europe & Central Asia.
Scores range from Access & Parity (89.1) to Innovation (47.1), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: Europe & Central Asia

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
1	1	Denmark	81.64
5	2	Switzerland	77.53
6	3	Sweden	77.03
7	4	Finland	76.62
8	5	Netherlands	76.53
9	6	United Kingdom	76.42
10	7	Norway	76.28
11	8	Germany	76.05
14	9	Austria	75.77
15	10	France	75.31
18	11	Portugal	73.13
20	12	Estonia	72.97
22	13	Ireland	71.84
23	14	Czechia	71.83
24	15	Slovenia	71.66
25	16	Iceland	71.49
26	17	Lithuania	71.48
27	18	Spain	71.19
28	19	Belgium	71.17
29	20	Poland	71.13
30	21	Luxembourg	70.54
31	22	Italy	69.96
32	23	Greece	69.84
33	24	Cyprus	69.79
36	25	Latvia	67.91
—	—	LiechtensteinMicrostate	67.82
37	26	Hungary	66.46
38	27	Croatia	66.37
—	—	San MarinoMicrostate	64.87
—	—	GibraltarMicrostate	64.32
42	28	Moldova	63.22
43	29	Bulgaria	63.11
44	30	Serbia	62.62
—	—	AndorraMicrostate	62.40
—	—	MonacoMicrostate	62.22
46	31	Turkiye	61.60
47	32	Slovak Republic	61.24
51	33	Armenia	60.62
52	34	Montenegro	60.59
56	35	Russian Federation	59.64
57	36	Albania	59.41
—	—	Channel IslandsMicrostate	59.40
58	37	Georgia	59.12
—	—	Isle of ManMicrostate	58.95
59	38	North Macedonia	58.89
—	—	Faroe IslandsMicrostate	58.79
60	39	Kazakhstan	58.57
63	40	Uzbekistan	57.92
64	41	Belarus	57.87
70	42	Bosnia and Herzegovina	56.85
71	43	Kyrgyz Republic	56.77
—	—	GreenlandMicrostate	55.24
79	44	Romania	54.47
90	45	Kosovo	51.06
93	46	UkraineFCS	50.98
100	47	Azerbaijan	48.61
105	48	Turkmenistan	46.83
109	49	Tajikistan	43.64