https://www.humantruth.info/iceland_human_rights_and_freedom.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2018
When it comes to ensuring human rights and freedom, Iceland leads the world, setting excellent examples. Iceland performs the best for its average Freedom in the World rating. It comes in the best 20 in terms of opposing gender inequality1, freethought2, LGBT equality3, supporting press freedom4 and in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice5. And finally, it does better than average for supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms6 and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights7.
#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #iceland #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance
| Compared to Europe (2025)8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank8 | |
| 1 | Sweden | 5.9 |
| 2 | Norway | 8.0 |
| 3 | Denmark | 8.1 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 9.0 |
| 5 | Iceland | 12.5 |
| 6 | Austria | 15.0 |
| 7 | Luxembourg | 15.8 |
| 8 | Finland | 15.8 |
| 9 | Belgium | 17.5 |
| 10 | Germany | 19.8 |
| 11 | UK | 22.7 |
| 12 | Ireland | 23.7 |
| 13 | Switzerland | 25.3 |
| Europe Avg | 47.37 | |
| q=48. | ||
| Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank8 | |
| 1 | Sweden | 5.9 |
| 2 | Norway | 8.0 |
| 3 | Denmark | 8.1 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 9.0 |
| 5 | Iceland | 12.5 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 12.9 |
| 7 | Canada | 14.9 |
| 8 | Austria | 15.0 |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 15.8 |
| 10 | Finland | 15.8 |
| 11 | Australia | 16.8 |
| 12 | Belgium | 17.5 |
| World Avg | 86.35 | |
| q=198. | ||
The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark9. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are N. Korea, Somalia and Eritrea9.
25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe9, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia9.
For more, see:
Amnesty International's 2023-23 report had little to say about Iceland: "Solitary confinement in pretrial detention was used excessively and existing safeguards were insufficient. There were serious concerns about the application of solitary confinement to children, neurodiverse people or those who have mental health conditions"10.
#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK
| Press Freedom Higher is better4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 20254 | |
| 1 | Norway | 92.31 |
| 2 | Estonia | 89.46 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 88.64 |
| ... | ||
| 14 | Lithuania | 82.27 |
| 15 | Latvia | 81.82 |
| 16 | New Zealand | 81.37 |
| 17 | Iceland | 81.36 |
| 18 | Belgium | 80.12 |
| 19 | Trinidad & Tobago | 79.71 |
| 20 | UK | 78.89 |
| 21 | Canada | 78.75 |
| Europe Avg | 70.63 | |
| World Avg | 54.65 | |
| q=179. | ||
The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index11
It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".
For more, see:
Averages by decade for Iceland (for the ranks, lower is better):
| Press Freedom | 2000s Average | 2010s Average |
|---|---|---|
| Iceland: | 0.84 | 87.43 |
| World Rank: | 3rd | ⇣ 13th |
| World Avg: | 27.44 | 65.91 |
On average throughout the 2010s, Iceland's rate was 2.10.
| Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better6 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 2014 Rank6 | |
| 1 | Hong Kong | 1 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 2 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 |
| ... | ||
| 22= | Poland | 21 |
| 23 | USA | 23 |
| 24 | Latvia | 24 |
| 25 | Iceland | 25 |
| 26 | Taiwan | 26 |
| 27 | Slovakia | 27 |
| 28 | Italy | 28 |
| 29 | Chile | 29 |
| Europe Avg | 33.9 | |
| World Avg | 79.7 | |
| q=159. | ||
The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...
“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]
The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]
Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”
"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)12
For more, see:
#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA
| Freedom in the World Lower is better | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 2024 Score | |
| 1= | Norway | 1.0 |
| 1= | Canada | 1.0 |
| 1= | Cape Verde | 1.0 |
| ... | ||
| 16= | Netherlands | 1.0 |
| 16= | Germany | 1.0 |
| 16= | Micronesia | 1.0 |
| 16= | Iceland | 1.0 |
| 16= | Marshall Islands | 1.0 |
| 16= | Ireland | 1.0 |
| 16= | Italy | 1.0 |
| 16= | Japan | 1.0 |
| Europe Avg | 2.2 | |
| World Avg | 3.7 | |
| q=205. | ||
Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.
For more, see:
Averages by decade for Iceland (for the ranks, lower is better):
| Freedom in the World | 1970s Average | 1980s Average | 1990s Average | 2000s Average | 2010s Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland: | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| World Rank: | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| World Avg: | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better7 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 2009 Treaties7 | |
| 1 | Argentina | 24 |
| 2= | Chile | 23 |
| 2= | Costa Rica | 23 |
| ... | ||
| 38= | Honduras | 20 |
| 38= | S. Africa | 20 |
| 38= | Liechtenstein | 20 |
| 38= | Iceland | 20 |
| 38= | Romania | 20 |
| 38= | Bulgaria | 20 |
| 38= | Burkina Faso | 20 |
| 38= | Norway | 20 |
| Europe Avg | 19.5 | |
| World Avg | 15.1 | |
| q=194. | ||
There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.
For more, see:
#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands
| HR Treaties Lag Lower is better13 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty13 | |
| 1 | Ecuador | 2.15 |
| 2 | Uruguay | 2.25 |
| 3 | Tunisia | 3.65 |
| ... | ||
| 52 | Togo | 7.50 |
| 53 | Iraq | 7.55 |
| 54 | New Zealand | 7.56 |
| 55 | Iceland | 7.57 |
| 56 | Jamaica | 7.61 |
| 57 | Honduras | 7.64 |
| 58 | Congo, DR | 7.72 |
| 59 | Seychelles | 7.73 |
| Europe Avg | 9.09 | |
| World Avg | 10.02 | |
| q=195. | ||
Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.
For more, see:
Iceland is notable for its equality between the sexes and this has been a feature of the country's culture for quite some time.
See:
#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women
| Gender Inequality Lower is better1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 20221 | |
| 1 | Denmark | 0.01 |
| 2 | Norway | 0.01 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 0.02 |
| 4 | Sweden | 0.02 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 0.03 |
| 6 | Finland | 0.03 |
| 7 | UAE | 0.04 |
| 8 | Singapore | 0.04 |
| 9 | Iceland | 0.04 |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 0.04 |
| 11 | Belgium | 0.05 |
| 12 | Austria | 0.05 |
| Europe Avg | 0.12 | |
| World Avg | 0.34 | |
| q=166. | ||
The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.
For more, see:
After gradually improving in the 1990s, throughout the 2000s and 2010s Iceland was amongst the 10 countries with the least amount of Gender Inequality.
Averages by decade for Iceland (for the ranks, lower is better):
| Gender Inequality | 1990s Average | 2000s Average | 2010s Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland: | 0.16 | 0.12 | 0.07 |
| World Rank: | 11th | ⇡ 9th | ⇡ 8th |
| World Avg: | 0.44 | 0.41 | 0.37 |
#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women
| Year Women Can Vote Lower is better | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Total Year | |
| 1 | New Zealand | 1893 |
| 2 | Australia | 1902 |
| 3 | Finland | 1906 |
| 4 | Norway | 1913 |
| 5= | Denmark | 1915 |
| 5= | Iceland | 1915 |
| 7 | Russia | 1917 |
| 8= | Latvia | 1918 |
| 8= | Estonia | 1918 |
| 8= | Kyrgyzstan | 1918 |
| 11= | Austria | 1919 |
| 11= | Slovakia | 1919 |
| Europe Avg | 1895 | |
| World Avg | 1930 | |
| q=189. | ||
Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.
For more, see:
#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam
| Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better5 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 2014 %5 | |
| 1 | Laos | 0 |
| 2 | Philippines | 3 |
| 3 | Sweden | 4 |
| ... | ||
| 18= | Brazil | 16 |
| 18= | Singapore | 16 |
| 18= | Nigeria | 16 |
| 18= | Iceland | 16 |
| 18= | Uganda | 16 |
| 23 | Jamaica | 18 |
| 24= | India | 20 |
| 24= | Ireland | 20 |
| Europe Avg | 29.9 | |
| World Avg | 36.8 | |
| q=101. | ||
Anti-Semitism is the word given to irrational racism against Jews. It's not the same as anti-Judaism (arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews14,15,16,17. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were repeated violent outbursts against Jews of the most horrible kind. Entire Crusades were aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.
The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East18, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews19,20. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"21. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males22.
For more, see:
#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance
“A measure legalizing same-sex marriage passed the Icelandic legislature in June 2010. Public opinion polls prior to the vote indicated broad support for the measure, and no members of the country's legislature voted against it. Iceland had allowed same-sex couples to register as domestic partners since 1996. A decade later, the parliament passed a measure allowing gay couples to adopt children.
After the new law took effect in late June 2010, the country´s prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, wed her longtime partner, Jonina Leosdottir, becoming one of the first people to marry under the statute.”
"Gay Marriage Around the World" by Pew Forum (2017)23
| LGBT Equality Higher is better3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 2017 Score3 | |
| 1 | Netherlands | 103 |
| 2 | Belgium | 90 |
| 3 | Sweden | 86 |
| ... | ||
| 8 | Uruguay | 77 |
| 9= | Norway | 72 |
| 9= | Denmark | 72 |
| 9= | Iceland | 72 |
| 12 | UK | 72 |
| 13= | Mexico | 70 |
| 13= | Luxembourg | 70 |
| 15 | Argentina | 69 |
| Europe Avg | 46.9 | |
| World Avg | 12.6 | |
| q=196. | ||
Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence24. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws25. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries24. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.
For more, see:
#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment
| Freedom of Thought Lower is better2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | 20212 | |
| 1= | Belgium | 1.0 |
| 1= | Taiwan | 1.0 |
| 1= | Netherlands | 1.0 |
| ... | ||
| 7= | Nauru | 1.3 |
| 7= | France | 1.3 |
| 9= | Sweden | 1.5 |
| 9= | Iceland | 1.5 |
| 9= | Norway | 1.5 |
| 9= | Congo, (Brazzaville) | 1.5 |
| 13= | Guinea-Bissau | 1.7 |
| 13= | Mongolia | 1.7 |
| Europe Avg | 2.6 | |
| World Avg | 3.0 | |
| q=196. | ||
Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights26. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish27. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era28 of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted29. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief30. The best countries at doing so are Belgium, The Netherlands and Taiwan2,31 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia2,32.
Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed33. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief27, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion34 and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"35 and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.
For more, see: