Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland
Iceland: Share of births attended by skilled health staff was 97.4% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland, 1990–2020
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland is 97.4%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland peaked at 100.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 97.4%, in 2020.
That places Iceland 92nd out of 169 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 100.0% | — |
| 1991 | 99.9% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 99.8% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 99.9% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 99.6% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 99.3% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 99.5% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.0% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 98.7% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.2% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 97.9% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 97.8% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.1% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 97.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 98.2% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 97.9% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 97.4% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 99.8% | 99.6% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 99.1% | 98.7% | 99.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.0% | 97.8% | 98.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.4% | 97.4% | 97.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More health data for Iceland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2085)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4982 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0207 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 4.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0164 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland?
- Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland was 97.4% in 2020, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 97.4% in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for share of births attended by skilled health staff?
- Iceland ranks 92nd out of 169 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Skilled health staff refers to professionals trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.