Iceland vs Norway: Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) over time
- Iceland
- Norway
How they compare
Norway currently reports 4.46 against 4.43 in Iceland, a difference of 0.03.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Norway ahead.
Iceland ranks 55th and Norway ranks 54th of 78 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 2 and Norway in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.55 | 4.6 | 1.05 | Norway |
| 2000s | 3.26 | 3.56 | 0.2967 | Norway |
| 2010s | 4.68 | 3.74 | 0.9387 | Iceland |
| 2020s | 4.47 | 4 | 0.4632 | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13), Iceland or Norway?
- Norway, at 4.46 against 4.43 in Iceland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) between Iceland and Norway?
- 0.03, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Norway?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2025.
- How do Iceland and Norway rank globally for unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Iceland ranks 55th and Norway ranks 54th of 78 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.