POLITICIANS from Iceland

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Icelander Politicians of all time. This list of famous Icelander Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Icelander Politicians.

1. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (b. 1930)

With an HPI of 65.70, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is the most famous Icelander Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 67 different languages on wikipedia.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (Icelandic: [ˈvɪɣtis ˈfɪnpɔɣaˌtouʰtɪr̥] ; born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth president of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. Vigdís is the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as president. Having served as president of Iceland for 16 years, she is the longest-serving elected female head of state in history. She is the first female president in Icelandic history, while later being followed by the current president, Halla Tómasdóttir as the second female president. Vigdís is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and a member of the Club of Madrid.

2. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 64.05, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is the 2nd most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 64 different languages.

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (Icelandic: [ˈouːlavʏr ˈraknar ˈkrimsɔn] ; born 14 May 1943) is an Icelandic politician who was the fifth president of Iceland from 1996 to 2016. He was previously a member of the Icelandic Parliament for the People's Alliance and served as Minister of Finance from 1988 to 1991. Since the end of his presidency, Ólafur has been serving as Chairman of the Arctic Circle, a non-profit organization, and as Chairman of the International Renewable Energy Agency's Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation.

3. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (b. 1942)

With an HPI of 62.34, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is the 3rd most famous Icelander Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 69 different languages.

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjouːhana ˈsɪːɣʏrðarˌtouhtɪr̥]; born 4 October 1942) is an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 2009 to 2013. Elected as an MP from 1978 to 2013, she was appointed as Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security, serving from 1987 to 1994, and from 2007 until 2009. In 1994, when she lost a bid to head the Social Democratic Party, she raised her fist and declared "Minn tími mun koma!" ("My time will come!"), a phrase that became a popular Icelandic expression. Later in 1994, she left the party and formed her own party, National Awakening (Þjóðvaki), with her as leader. The party received 7.1% of the popular vote in the 1995 parliamentary election and four elected MPs. In 1996 all of the MPs joined the Social Democratic Party. In the 1999 election, National Awakening ran with the newly formed Social Democratic Alliance. In 2000 the party officially merged with the Social Democratic Alliance. Jóhanna became prime minister on 1 February 2009, in a minority cabinet formed after the previous coalition was dissolved following the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis. Her coalition received a majority in the 2009 parliamentary election. She became Iceland's first female prime minister and the world's first openly LGBT head of government. Forbes listed her among the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2009. She was a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for Reykjavík constituencies from 1978 to 2013, winning re-election on eight successive occasions. In September 2012, Jóhanna announced she would not seek re-election and retired from politics as then-Iceland's longest serving member of Parliament.

4. Katrín Jakobsdóttir (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 60.09, Katrín Jakobsdóttir is the 4th most famous Icelander Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 61 different languages.

Katrín Jakobsdóttir (Icelandic: [ˈkʰaːtʰrin ˈjaːkʰɔpsˌtouʰtɪr̥]; born 1 February 1976) is an Icelandic politician who served as the prime minister of Iceland from December 2017 to April 2024 and was a member of the Althing for the Reykjavík North constituency from 2007 to 2024. A graduate of the University of Iceland, she became deputy chairperson of the Left-Green Movement in 2003, and served as their chairperson from 2013 until her presidential bid in 2024. Katrín was Iceland's minister of education, science, and culture, and of Nordic cooperation from 2 February 2009 to 23 May 2013. She was Iceland's second female prime minister, after Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir. On 19 February 2020, she was named Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. In April 2024, she left her position as prime minister to run for president of Iceland in the 2024 presidential election. She finished in second place with 25.1% of the popular vote. Katrín is known as one of the most popular politicians in Icelandic history, with 59% of people naming her as the most trustworthy politician in a 2015 poll. During her time as prime minister, she faced the highest approval ratings for a prime minister in Iceland.

5. Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (1894 - 1972)

With an HPI of 59.76, Ásgeir Ásgeirsson is the 5th most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (Icelandic: [ˈausceir̥ ˈausceir̥sɔn]; 13 May 1894 – 15 September 1972) was the second president of Iceland, from 1952 to 1968. He was a Freemason and served as Grand Master of the Icelandic Order of Freemasons. He also served as the prime minister of Iceland from 3 June 1932 to 28 July 1934 for the Progressive Party. Ásgeir is the only person in Iceland to date to serve both as president and prime minister.

6. Jón Sigurðsson (1811 - 1879)

With an HPI of 59.54, Jón Sigurðsson is the 6th most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Jón Sigurðsson (17 June 1811 – 7 December 1879) was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement.

7. Kristján Eldjárn (1916 - 1982)

With an HPI of 59.34, Kristján Eldjárn is the 7th most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Kristján Eldjárn (Icelandic: [ˈkʰrɪstjaun ˈɛltjaurtn̥]; 6 December 1916 – 14 September 1982) was the third president of Iceland, from 1968 to 1980.

8. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 58.39, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson is the 8th most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 56 different languages.

Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkvʏðnɪ ˈtʰɔrlaˌsiʏs ˈjouːhanɛsɔn]; born 26 June 1968) is an Icelandic historian and politician who served as the sixth president of Iceland from 2016 to 2024. A historian, Guðni was a professor at the University of Iceland before running for president in 2016. His field of research is modern Icelandic history, and he has published works on the Cod Wars, the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis and the Icelandic presidency, among other topics.

9. Bjarni Benediktsson (1908 - 1970)

With an HPI of 57.35, Bjarni Benediktsson is the 9th most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Bjarni Benediktsson (30 April 1908 – 10 July 1970) was an Icelandic politician of the Independence Party who served as prime minister of Iceland from 1963 to 1970. His father, Benedikt Sveinsson (1877–1954), was a leader in the independence movement in Iceland and a member of the Althingi from 1908 to 1931. Bjarni studied constitutional law and became a professor at the University of Iceland at age 24. He was elected to the city council in Reykjavík in 1934 as a member of the Independence Party and from 1940 to 1947 was mayor of the city. In 1947 he became Foreign Minister and served in various posts in cabinets until 1956. Bjarni was mainly responsible for Iceland joining NATO in 1949, against significant opposition, and for giving the United States Air Force a lease on Keflavík Airport near Reykjavík, which was of major strategic importance during the Cold War. Bjarni was caricatured by the Nobel prize winning writer Halldór Laxness in his 1948 play Atómstöðin (The Atom Station). In 1956, when the left-wing parties formed a coalition government, Bjarni, out of office, became editor of Morgunblaðið, a leading conservative newspaper. In 1959, when the Independence Party formed a coalition government with the Social Democrats, Bjarni became Minister of Justice. He served as speaker of the Althing in 1959. Two years later he was elected chairman of the Independence Party and in 1963 he took over from Ólafur Thors as Prime Minister. When Bjarni became prime minister, he received a congratulatory letter from the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, only six days before his assassination. Bjarni served in this position until his death, which was caused by a fire at a government summer house at Þingvellir on 10 July 1970. His wife and grandson also perished in the blaze. Jóhann Hafstein was made prime minister immediately following his death. Bjarni was the father of politicians Björn Bjarnason and Valgerður Bjarnadóttir, as well as the father-in-law of Vilmundur Gylfason. Bjarni was the great-uncle of his namesake Bjarni Benediktsson, who became Prime Minister in January 2017.

10. Halldór Ásgrímsson (1947 - 2015)

With an HPI of 56.62, Halldór Ásgrímsson is the 10th most famous Icelander Politician.  His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Halldór Ásgrímsson (pronounced [ˈhalːˌtour ˈauːsˌkrimsˌsɔn]; 8 September 1947 – 18 May 2015) was an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 15 September 2004 to 15 June 2006 and was the leader of the Progressive Party from 1994 to 2006.