Autopsy rate in Iceland
Iceland: Autopsy rate was 12.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Autopsy rate in Iceland, 1980–2020
Source: Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 12.0% for autopsy rate in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.4% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, autopsy rate in Iceland peaked at 38.0% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 2013.
Iceland ranks 14th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33.5% | 26.0% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 16.0% | 27.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 11.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 8.0% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More reference data data for Iceland
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.5453 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.1076 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.09 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.653 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 3.5 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 179.82 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is autopsy rate in Iceland?
- Autopsy rate in Iceland was 12.0% in 2020, according to Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest autopsy rate recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 38.0% in 1982.
- What is the lowest autopsy rate recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2013.
- How does Iceland rank for autopsy rate?
- Iceland ranks 14th out of 39 countries with data for 2020.
- Is autopsy rate rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Autopsy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of all deaths for which an autopsy was performed. Autopsies may be used to determine the cause of sudden deaths; when there is a lack of doctors and nurses, medical records, or death certificate training; or for other legal or cultural reasons.