Human capital composite index in Iceland
Iceland: Human capital composite index was 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2023. ▼ Falling
Human capital composite index in Iceland, 1971–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human capital composite index in Iceland is 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 54.1% on the previous year and down 61.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human capital composite index in Iceland peaked at 1.36 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 70th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Human capital composite index in Iceland, year by year
| Year | standard deviations from the yearly mean | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.29 standard deviations from the yearly mean | — |
| 1972 | 1.27 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 1.21 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.9% |
| 1976 | 1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -9.7% |
| 1977 | 1.19 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +8.5% |
| 1978 | 1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -5.1% |
| 1979 | 1.22 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 1.11 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -9.6% |
| 1981 | 0.9838 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -11.0% |
| 1982 | 1.12 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +13.6% |
| 1983 | 0.9843 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -11.9% |
| 1984 | 1.06 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 0.9986 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -8.8% |
| 1987 | 1.18 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +18.0% |
| 1988 | 1.21 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.14 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -5.5% |
| 1990 | 0.8582 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -24.8% |
| 1991 | 0.9692 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +12.9% |
| 1992 | 0.9991 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 0.8193 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -18.0% |
| 1994 | 0.7131 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -13.0% |
| 1995 | 0.857 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +20.2% |
| 1996 | 0.9702 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +13.2% |
| 1998 | 1.36 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +40.5% |
| 1999 | 1.03 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -24.7% |
| 2000 | 1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 0.9528 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -9.1% |
| 2002 | 0.9734 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 0.9516 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 0.983 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 0.9151 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -6.9% |
| 2006 | 0.9617 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.8458 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -12.0% |
| 2008 | 0.7725 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 0.6752 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -12.6% |
| 2010 | 0.756 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +12.0% |
| 2011 | 0.7914 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 0.9336 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +18.0% |
| 2013 | 0.9901 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 1.03 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 1.01 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.8899 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -11.5% |
| 2017 | 0.9843 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 0.9647 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 0.8895 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -7.8% |
| 2020 | 0.8649 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 0.9465 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +9.4% |
| 2022 | 0.8256 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -54.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3622 standard deviations from the yearly mean, 1.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3686 standard deviations from the yearly mean, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.2 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1.29 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 0.9838 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1.21 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.953 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 0.7131 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1.36 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.9079 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 0.6752 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9232 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 0.756 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1.03 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.754 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 0.9465 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 67 Mozambique 0.3954 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 68 Luxembourg 0.3904 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 69 Montenegro 0.3897 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 71 Solomon Islands 0.3733 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 72 Bahrain 0.3693 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 73 Lithuania 0.3686 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
More education data for Iceland
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,661 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,167 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,056 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,314 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0838 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human capital composite index in Iceland?
- Human capital composite index in Iceland was 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest human capital composite index recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.36 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1998.
- What is the lowest human capital composite index recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3789 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for human capital composite index?
- Iceland ranks 70th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human capital composite index rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Human capital composite index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Literacy rate, adult total; School enrollment, primary; School enrollment, secondary; Government expenditure on education, total. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.
Equal-weighted mean of the standardised inputs below.
Computed from
- Literacy rate, adult total Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- School enrollment, primary Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- School enrollment, secondary Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- Government expenditure on education, total Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Literacy rate, adult total; School enrollment, primary; School enrollment, secondary; Government expenditure on education, total. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.