Relationship dossier
Iceland
Sweden
Relationship assessment
A cooperative Nordic partnership with regional policy coordination and shared NATO security ties.
Iceland toward Sweden
+35Iceland participates with Sweden in the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers, contributing to regional policy coordination and joint initiatives. Iceland also participates in NATO alongside Sweden, supporting shared allied security arrangements.
Sweden toward Iceland
+35Sweden participates with Iceland in the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers, contributing to regional policy coordination and joint initiatives. Sweden also participates in NATO alongside Iceland, supporting shared allied security arrangements.
Overall relationship
+35The enduring relationship is cooperative and institutionally connected through Nordic frameworks and shared NATO membership. These arrangements support regular coordination and allied security, without indicating an unusually intensive bilateral partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iceland and Sweden have a cooperative Nordic relationship grounded in sustained regional institutions and practical cooperation. Both participate in the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers, which support policy coordination and joint initiatives. Their cooperation is complemented by close security ties through NATO, including Iceland's reliance on allied arrangements for its defence. The relationship is friendly and institutionalized, though the specific scope of bilateral initiatives is not fully captured by these broad frameworks.
Key developments
Iceland and Sweden participate in the Nordic Council, providing a durable framework for interparliamentary cooperation.
Iceland and Sweden participate in the Nordic Council of Ministers, supporting cooperation among their governments.
Sweden joined NATO, bringing it into the same alliance as Iceland.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of recent bilateral initiatives outside Nordic and NATO frameworks is unclear.
- The scale and implementation of specific Iceland-Sweden policy agreements are uncertain.