Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland
Iceland: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) was 79.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Iceland recorded 79.1% for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland peaked at 88.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 42.8%, in 1980.
That places Iceland 32nd out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 86.6% | — |
| 1974 | 57.2% | -34.0% |
| 1975 | 82.5% | +44.3% |
| 1976 | 82.6% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 82.6% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 82.8% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 42.8% | -48.2% |
| 1981 | 82.9% | +93.6% |
| 1982 | 83.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 84.5% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 59.0% | -30.1% |
| 1991 | 85.3% | +44.4% |
| 1992 | 85.7% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 84.0% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 83.8% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 87.0% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 86.5% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 85.7% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 86.6% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 87.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 87.8% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 88.5% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 87.2% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 87.4% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 86.9% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 85.5% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 86.9% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 86.5% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 84.1% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 83.2% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 83.7% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 85.6% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 86.3% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 87.8% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 86.7% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 85.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 84.9% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 82.7% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 77.5% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 78.3% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 79.3% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 80.8% | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 79.1% | -2.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 79.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 69.5%, 1.1× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 79.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 68.2%, 1.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +93.6% | 42.8% | 82.9% |
| 1980 | -48.2% | 82.8% | 42.8% |
| 1975 | +44.3% | 57.2% | 82.5% |
| 1991 | +44.4% | 59.0% | 85.3% |
| 1974 | -34.0% | 86.6% | 57.2% |
| 1985 | -30.1% | 84.5% | 59.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 86.6% | 86.6% | 86.6% | 1 |
| 1970s | 77.5% | 57.2% | 82.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 70.5% | 42.8% | 84.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 85.7% | 83.8% | 87.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 86.8% | 84.1% | 88.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.0% | 82.6% | 87.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.6% | 77.5% | 82.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More work & labour data for Iceland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4964 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4501 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5492 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.37 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2312 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 373.77 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 16.3 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 169.5 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 193.08 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 362.58 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Iceland was 79.1% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 88.5% in 2001.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.8% in 1980.
- How does Iceland rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
- Iceland ranks 32nd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.