Iceland — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for Iceland, 2000–2024.
Health spending for Iceland was 8.98% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 25 years, from 2000 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 9.73% in 2003. The lowest was 8.13% in 2015 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.04% per year.
Iceland ranks 44 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 23%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 7.92%, so Iceland sits above it. It peaked in 2003 and has fallen 8% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 8%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 17 of 51 economies; Bosnia and Herzegovina (8.92%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 12% in 2020. That is 3% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 16th of 184 in 2000 → 45th of 188 in 2010 → 39th of 189 in 2020 → 13th of 22 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8.98% | +0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 8.71% | -0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 9.08% | -0.6 pp |
| 2021 | 9.72% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 9.65% | +1.0 pp |
| 2019 | 8.64% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 8.44% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 8.32% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 8.16% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 8.13% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 8.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 8.23% | -0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 8.23% | -0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 8.25% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 8.36% | -0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 8.78% | +0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 8.34% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 8.35% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 8.56% | -0.4 pp |
| 2005 | 8.95% | -0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 9.33% | -0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 9.73% | +0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 9.4% | +0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 8.75% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 8.9% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Iceland’s Health spending in 2001?
8.75% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Iceland’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +0.9% in total.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 8.98%; 2023: 8.71%; 2022: 9.08%; 2021: 9.72%; 2020: 9.65%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS — Health Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.