Annual working hours per worker in Iceland

Iceland: Annual working hours per worker was 1,452 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1,452 hours per worker
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
123rd
of 130 countries
All-time high
2,139 hours per worker
in 1964
All-time low
1,452 hours per worker
in 2023
Years of data
60
1964–2023

Annual working hours per worker in Iceland, 1964–2023

05001.0k1.5k2.0k196419932023

Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in Iceland is 1,452 hours per worker, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.

The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Iceland peaked at 2,139 hours per worker in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1,452 hours per worker, in 2023.

Iceland ranks 123rd of 130 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2,073 hours per worker 1,992 hours per worker 2,139 hours per worker 6
1970s 1,842 hours per worker 1,716 hours per worker 1,975 hours per worker 10
1980s 1,698 hours per worker 1,690 hours per worker 1,706 hours per worker 10
1990s 1,682 hours per worker 1,660 hours per worker 1,703 hours per worker 10
2000s 1,654 hours per worker 1,536 hours per worker 1,725 hours per worker 10
2010s 1,514 hours per worker 1,480 hours per worker 1,538 hours per worker 10
2020s 1,459 hours per worker 1,452 hours per worker 1,464 hours per worker 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 120 France 1,487 hours per worker compare
  2. 121 Uruguay 1,481 hours per worker compare
  3. 124 Netherlands 1,439 hours per worker compare
  4. 125 Austria 1,438 hours per worker compare
  5. 126 Sweden 1,432 hours per worker compare

See the full ranking of 130 places →

More work & labour data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual working hours per worker in Iceland?
Annual working hours per worker in Iceland was 1,452 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 2,139 hours per worker in 1964.
What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,452 hours per worker in 2023.
How does Iceland rank for annual working hours per worker?
Iceland ranks 123rd out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual working hours per worker
Unit
hours per worker
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
130 places, 5,063 data points, 1870–2023
Last refreshed

Average working hours per worker in a given year.