55.1 Overall Score (down 2.9 since Aug 1st.)

Iceland

  • 0 Public Health
    Directives
  • 49.2 Financial
    Response
  • 100 Fact-Based
    Communication
  • 0 Public Health
    Directives
  • 49.2 Financial
    Response
  • 100 Fact-Based
    Communication

Iceland scores near the median, having strong public communications and testing but moderate interventions otherwise.

Pre-COVID Conditions

A low debt-to-GDP ratio, a very healthy population, minimal inequality, and widely accessible quality health services overshadow Iceland’s low number of hospital beds and made it relatively well-positioned to respond to the pandemic.

  • Debt/GDP ratio 37.6%
  • GDP/capita $56,974
  • Gini coefficient (out of 100) 26.8
  • Infant mortality rate (out of 1,000 live births) 2
  • Healthcare access score (out of 100) 93.6
  • Hospital beds/1,000 People 22.6

Government Response

Select a data point for more information
(Data points represent policy level as of Oct 1.)
0

Public Health Directives

Iceland has a relatively weak public health policy score, driven by no real lockdown of any sort, and weak scores in most areas except contact tracing and testing policy.

  • Stay at home order 0
  • Public gathering restrictions 2
  • School closings 0
  • Public event cancellations 1
  • Testing policy 3
  • Emergency healthcare investments/capita $0.00
  • Travel restrictions 2
  • Tests/1,000 people 376.4
  • Contact tracing 2
49.2

Financial Response

Iceland’s weak stimulus package brings its score down near the median, despite having generous debt forbearance.

  • Financial stimulus as share of GDP 9.2%
  • Income support 2
  • Debt forebearance 2
100

Fact-Based Communication

Iceland’s health authorities have made regular, fact-based briefings to the press.

  • Reliance on science/fact based information 0
  • Press freedom 0

COVID-19 Status as of Oct 1

Despite a very high rate of confirmed cases early on, reflected by substantial testing, Iceland effectively brought its numbers down; the country is again enforcing restrictions in an effort to manage a spike in cases.

  • Total deaths 10
  • Death rate per 100K 29.3
  • Total cases 2,728
  • Cases per 100K 7,994
  • Percent of positive tests 2.5
  • Change in positivity rates +1.4
Case Trend Line
Daily cases
Date Status New Cases/1M
1 May 04 Schools, personal services venues, gyms, bars, and pools open, increasing gathering sizes from 20 to 50 2.93
2 May 25 Up to 200 people are allowed to gather 0.84
3 Jun 15 People arriving in Iceland undergo a COVID test or a 14-day quarantine; up to 500 people are allowed to gather 1.26
4 Jul 31 Gatherings of over 100 people are banned; masks are mandatory on public transit; screening at airports intensifies 12.98

Differentiating Factors

Compared with Other Island Nations
  • 69
    Indonesia 287,008
    Cases     1,049
    Per 1M     10,740
    Deaths

    Indonesia performs relatively strongly in the Index, with consistent scores across all categories.

  • 96.8
    Japan 83,010
    Cases     656
    Per 1M     1,564
    Deaths

    Japan has a very strong overall score, driven by its generous financial response and a reliance on facts, although its public health policy is slightly below the median.

  • 100
    New Zealand 1,480
    Cases     307
    Per 1M     25
    Deaths

    New Zealand has had very strong policy, particularly its reliance on science and facts, and its very strong financial response.

  • 60.9
    Taiwan 514
    Cases     22
    Per 1M     7
    Deaths

    Taiwan has a relatively strong overall policy score, but does not score as highly as expected due to a lack of lockdown, minimal stimulus, and weak support for debt relief. Given data limitations, the score likely underestimates Taiwan’s very strong contact-tracing policy, which is so advanced that it may have diminished the need for other policy responses.

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New Zealand

Statistics and government response factors available on each country profile include:

Pre-COVID Conditions:

  • Debt to GDP ratio
  • Infant mortality rates
  • Hospital beds per 1,000 people
  • Gini coefficients measuring inequality
  • Health access and quality

COVID-19 Public Health Directives:

  • Stay-at home orders
  • School-closing policy
  • Public-gathering restrictions
  • Cancellation of public events
  • Testing policy and rates per 1,000 people
  • Emergency healthcare spending per capita
  • Travel restrictions
  • Contact tracing

COVID-19 Financial Response:

  • Stimulus package as a share of GDP
  • Income support
  • Debt-forbearance

Public Communications:

  • Instances of misinformation by leadership
  • Limitations on press freedom, censorship

Current/Historic In-Country COVID-19 Status:

  • Death rates per 1 million
  • Case rates per 1 million