Infant health: low birthweight in Iceland

Iceland: Infant health: low birthweight was 3.5 Percentage of live births in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
3.5 Percentage of live births
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
41st
of 41 countries
All-time high
4.5 Percentage of live births
in 1997
All-time low
2.9 Percentage of live births
in 1979
Years of data
54
1972–2025

Infant health: low birthweight in Iceland, 1972–2025

012345197219982025

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of live births.

Analysis

Iceland recorded 3.5 Percentage of live births for infant health: low birthweight in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant health: low birthweight in Iceland peaked at 4.5 Percentage of live births in 1997 and was at its lowest, 2.9 Percentage of live births, in 1979.

Iceland ranks 41st of 41 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.

Infant health: low birthweight in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Infant health: low birthweight in Iceland, 1972 to 2025.
Year Percentage of live births Change
1972 4.2 Percentage of live births
1973 3.7 Percentage of live births -11.9%
1974 4.4 Percentage of live births +18.9%
1975 3.2 Percentage of live births -27.3%
1976 3.1 Percentage of live births -3.1%
1977 3.5 Percentage of live births +12.9%
1978 4.3 Percentage of live births +22.9%
1979 2.9 Percentage of live births -32.6%
1980 3.4 Percentage of live births +17.2%
1981 3.8 Percentage of live births +11.8%
1982 3.2 Percentage of live births -15.8%
1983 3.4 Percentage of live births +6.2%
1984 3 Percentage of live births -11.8%
1985 3.9 Percentage of live births +30.0%
1986 3 Percentage of live births -23.1%
1987 3.5 Percentage of live births +16.7%
1988 3 Percentage of live births -14.3%
1989 2.9 Percentage of live births -3.3%
1990 2.9 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1991 3.3 Percentage of live births +13.8%
1992 4.2 Percentage of live births +27.3%
1993 3.2 Percentage of live births -23.8%
1994 3.7 Percentage of live births +15.6%
1995 4.4 Percentage of live births +18.9%
1996 3.8 Percentage of live births -13.6%
1997 4.5 Percentage of live births +18.4%
1998 3.7 Percentage of live births -17.8%
1999 4.2 Percentage of live births +13.5%
2000 3.9 Percentage of live births -7.1%
2001 3.3 Percentage of live births -15.4%
2002 3.9 Percentage of live births +18.2%
2003 3.1 Percentage of live births -20.5%
2004 3.6 Percentage of live births +16.1%
2005 3.9 Percentage of live births +8.3%
2006 4 Percentage of live births +2.6%
2007 3.8 Percentage of live births -5.0%
2008 3.8 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2009 4.1 Percentage of live births +7.9%
2010 3.6 Percentage of live births -12.2%
2011 3.2 Percentage of live births -11.1%
2012 4.3 Percentage of live births +34.4%
2013 3.7 Percentage of live births -14.0%
2014 4 Percentage of live births +8.1%
2015 4.4 Percentage of live births +10.0%
2016 4.4 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2017 3.8 Percentage of live births -13.6%
2018 3.6 Percentage of live births -5.3%
2019 4.4 Percentage of live births +22.2%
2020 3.6 Percentage of live births -18.2%
2021 3.7 Percentage of live births +2.8%
2022 3.5 Percentage of live births -5.4%
2023 3.8 Percentage of live births +8.6%
2024 3.5 Percentage of live births -7.9%
2025 3.5 Percentage of live births +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.66 Percentage of live births 2.9 Percentage of live births 4.4 Percentage of live births 8
1980s 3.31 Percentage of live births 2.9 Percentage of live births 3.9 Percentage of live births 10
1990s 3.79 Percentage of live births 2.9 Percentage of live births 4.5 Percentage of live births 10
2000s 3.74 Percentage of live births 3.1 Percentage of live births 4.1 Percentage of live births 10
2010s 3.94 Percentage of live births 3.2 Percentage of live births 4.4 Percentage of live births 10
2020s 3.6 Percentage of live births 3.5 Percentage of live births 3.8 Percentage of live births 6

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 38 Norway 4.4 Percentage of live births compare
  2. 39 Sweden 4.1 Percentage of live births compare
  3. 40 Finland 3.9 Percentage of live births compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More health data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant health: low birthweight in Iceland?
Infant health: low birthweight in Iceland was 3.5 Percentage of live births in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 4.5 Percentage of live births in 1997.
What is the lowest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 2.9 Percentage of live births in 1979.
How does Iceland rank for infant health: low birthweight?
Iceland ranks 41st out of 41 countries with data for 2025.
Is infant health: low birthweight rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Infant health: low birthweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Infant health: low birthweight in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infant-health-low-birthweight/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Infant health: low birthweight
Unit
Percentage of live births
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 2,043 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents time series on the number of live births weighing less than 2500 grams as a percentage of the total number of live births. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.