Iceland vs Norway: Nurses — Health and social employment

Iceland
31.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2025
Norway
29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2024
Iceland rank
1st
Norway rank
2nd

Nurses — Health and social employment over time

  • Iceland
  • Norway
0102030200220132025

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 31.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants against 29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants in Norway, a difference of 2.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants.

That makes Iceland's figure about 1.1 times Norway's.

Across all 9 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.

Iceland ranks 1st and Norway ranks 2nd of 24 countries.

Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland Norway Difference Ahead
2010s 29.22 Per 1 000 inhabitants 26.32 Per 1 000 inhabitants 2.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants Iceland
2020s 29.93 Per 1 000 inhabitants 28.48 Per 1 000 inhabitants 1.45 Per 1 000 inhabitants Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher nurses — health and social employment, Iceland or Norway?
Iceland, at 31.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants against 29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants in Norway as of 2025.
What is the difference in nurses — health and social employment between Iceland and Norway?
2.65 Per 1 000 inhabitants, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Norway?
9 years are reported by both, from 2016 to 2024.
How do Iceland and Norway rank globally for nurses — health and social employment?
Iceland ranks 1st and Norway ranks 2nd of 24 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iceland vs Norway: Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/nurses-health-and-social-employment/iceland/norway/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses — Health and social employment
Unit
Per 1 000 inhabitants
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
31 places, 714 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of nurses by status (ie. practising nurses, professionally active nurses, and nurses licenced to practice) and category (ie. Professional nurses and associate professional nurses). Practising nurses provide services directly to patients. Professionally active nurses include practising nurses and other nurses for whom their education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job. A nurse licensed to practice has completed a programme of nursing education and is qualified and authorised in his/her country to practice nursing. They include practising and other (non-practising) nurses. Professional nurses assume responsibility for the planning and management of the care of patients, including the supervision of other healthcare workers, working autonomously or in teams with medical doctors and others in the practical application of preventive and curative measures. Associate professional nurses generally work under the supervision of, and in support of implementation of healthcare, treatment and referrals plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.