A graduate of theUniversity of Iceland, she became deputy chairperson of theLeft-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.[1] She was Iceland's second female prime minister, afterJóhanna Sigurðardóttir held the office from 2009 to 2013. On 19 February 2020, she was named Chair of theCouncil of Women World Leaders.[2] In April 2024, she left her position as prime minister to run forpresident of Iceland in the2024 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.[3] During her time asprime minister, she had the highest approval ratings for a prime minister in Iceland.[4]
Katrín worked part-time as a language adviser at thenews agency atpublic broadcasterRÚV from 1999 to 2003. She then freelanced for broadcast media, and wrote for a variety of print media from 2004 to 2006, as well as being an instructor in life-long learning and leisure at the Mímir School from 2004 to 2007. She did editorial work for the publishing company Edda and magazine JPV from 2005 to 2006, and was alecturer at theUniversity of Iceland,Reykjavík University, andMenntaskólinn í Reykjavík from 2006 to 2007.[6]
Political analysts note that Katrín Jakobsdóttir's government has been able to maintain stability through a coalition comprising the Left-Green Movement, the Progressive Party, and the Independence Party. This stability has been attributed to a balanced approach that incorporates different political perspectives, including a focus on regional support and primary industries as well as a cautious stance on European integration.[13]
As prime minister, Katrín has implemented a range of policies aimed at social betterment. These include making the tax system more progressive, investing in social housing, extending parental leave, and taking steps to reduce gender pay inequality. To maintain coalition stability, she has also made some compromises[dubious –discuss], such as forgoing the establishment of a national park in the country's centre.[14]
By September 2021, nearly four years after taking office, Katrín's leadership during theCOVID-19 pandemic received positive reviews.[citation needed] While Iceland's small size and geographical isolation may have contributed to its relatively low death toll, the country's proactive measures under her guidance were also a factor.[15] Tourism was reintroduced cautiously, although there was a subsequent increase in COVID-19 cases.
In the2021 parliamentary elections, theLeft-Green Movement lost three of its 11 seats in theParliament, but the coalition government still retained its majority. Negotiations among the coalition parties subsequently began to renew their agreement. Polls taken in the aftermath of the election showed a significant majority of Icelanders supported Katrín's continued role in government.[16]
In October 2023, she gained international attention for going on strike with women and non-binary people in calling for pay equality and action against gender-based violence. The strike is also the first of its kind since 1975.[17]
Resignation, presidential campaign (2024) and international work
On 9 April 2024, Katrín resigned as prime minister and chairperson of the Left-Green Movement and ran for thepresidency of Iceland.[18] She came in second place behindHalla Tómasdóttir and received 25.1% percent of votes cast.[19] Katrín said she does not plan to run for the presidency again and will not go back into politics.[20] She now serves as a senior emissary for the Arctic Circle and is the chair of the Polar Dialogue, an initiative within the Arctic Circle. Katrín is also the chair of the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health organized by the regional office of WHO in Europe.[21][22]
Katrín opposes Icelandic membership ofNATO, but as part of the compromise between the Left-Greens and their coalition partners, the government does not intend to withdraw from NATO or hold a referendum on NATO membership.[23] Katrín also opposes Iceland joining theEuropean Union (EU).[24][25] The coalition government did not hold a referendum on restarting Iceland'saccession negotiations with the EU.[24][25]
Katrín is married to Gunnar Sigvaldason, has three sons (born 2005, 2007, and 2011). Her father, Jakob Ármannsson, was an educator and banker and her mother, Signý Thoroddsen, was a psychologist.[6]
Her debut crime novel "Reykjavík: A Crime Story," co-written with best-selling Icelandic authorRagnar Jónasson, was published in October 2022,[26][27] with an English translation published in September 2023.[28][29] A second crime novel, "Franski spítalinn" ("The French Hospital"), also in collaboration with Ragnar Jónasson, was published in Iceland in October 2025.[30]
^Hardarson, Ólafur Th; Kristinsson, Gunnar Helgi (2019). "Iceland: Political Developments and Data in 2018".European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook.58:132–135.doi:10.1111/2047-8852.12267.ISSN2047-8852.S2CID214060768.
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