Denmark vs Iceland: Government health spending as a share of GDP
Denmark
7.9%
in 2025
Iceland
7.7%
in 2025
Denmark rank
16th
Iceland rank
18th
Government health spending as a share of GDP over time
- Denmark
- Iceland
How they compare
Denmark currently reports 7.9% against 7.7% in Iceland, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Denmark ahead.
Denmark ranks 16th and Iceland ranks 18th of 59 countries.
Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.0% | 2.4% | 2.6% | Denmark |
| 1970s | 6.9% | 4.2% | 2.7% | Denmark |
| 1980s | 7.0% | 5.8% | 1.2% | Denmark |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 6.4% | 0.1% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 7.2% | 0.4% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 6.7% | 2.0% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.7% | 0.6% | Denmark |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government health spending as a share of gdp, Denmark or Iceland?
- Denmark, at 7.9% against 7.7% in Iceland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in government health spending as a share of gdp between Denmark and Iceland?
- 0.2%, with Denmark ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Iceland?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Denmark and Iceland rank globally for government health spending as a share of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 16th and Iceland ranks 18th of 59 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026); OECD (1993); Lindert (1994) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Government health spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Public health expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.