Unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland

Iceland: Unemployed persons by type of employment sought was 11.3 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
11.3
Change on year
up 54.8%
World rank
34th
of 34 countries
All-time high
13.6
in 2010
All-time low
3
in 2001
Years of data
26
1995–2020

Unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland, 1995–2020

2.557.51012.51995200720201995: 7.71996: 5.21997: 5.41998: 4.61999: 3.42000: 3.12001: 32002: 4.82003: 6.62004: 6.62005: 4.22006: 4.92007: 42008: 5.42009: 12.92010: 13.62011: 12.52012: 10.72013: 9.82014: 9.12015: 7.62016: 5.82017: 5.52018: 5.52019: 7.32020: 11.3

Source: Eurostat.

Analysis

Iceland recorded 11.3 for unemployed persons by type of employment sought in 2020.

That represents a change of up 54.8% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland peaked at 13.6 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2001.

That places Iceland 34th out of 34 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland, 1995 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1995 7.7
1996 5.2 -32.5%
1997 5.4 +3.8%
1998 4.6 -14.8%
1999 3.4 -26.1%
2000 3.1 -8.8%
2001 3 -3.2%
2002 4.8 +60.0%
2003 6.6 +37.5%
2004 6.6 +0.0%
2005 4.2 -36.4%
2006 4.9 +16.7%
2007 4 -18.4%
2008 5.4 +35.0%
2009 12.9 +138.9%
2010 13.6 +5.4%
2011 12.5 -8.1%
2012 10.7 -14.4%
2013 9.8 -8.4%
2014 9.1 -7.1%
2015 7.6 -16.5%
2016 5.8 -23.7%
2017 5.5 -5.2%
2018 5.5 +0.0%
2019 7.3 +32.7%
2020 11.3 +54.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.26 3.4 7.7 5
2000s 5.55 3 12.9 10
2010s 8.74 5.5 13.6 10
2020s 11.3 11.3 11.3 1

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 31 Cyprus 35.2 compare
  2. 32 Luxembourg 21.2 compare
  3. 33 Malta 13.2 compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More work & labour data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland?
Unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland was 11.3 in 2020, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest unemployed persons by type of employment sought recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 13.6 in 2010.
What is the lowest unemployed persons by type of employment sought recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2001.
How does Iceland rank for unemployed persons by type of employment sought?
Iceland ranks 34th out of 34 countries with data for 2020.
Is unemployed persons by type of employment sought rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Unemployed persons by type of employment sought. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unemployed persons by type of employment sought in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployed-persons-by-type-of-employment-sought/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployed persons by type of employment sought
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
37 places, 988 data points, 1983–2020
Last refreshed