Unemployment rate in Iceland
Iceland: Unemployment rate was 3.62 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 3.62 for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Iceland peaked at 7.56 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.87, in 2001.
That places Iceland 125th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.55 | — |
| 1992 | 4.3 | +69.0% |
| 1993 | 5.26 | +22.1% |
| 1994 | 5.33 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 5.2 | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 3.6 | -30.7% |
| 1997 | 3.72 | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 3.07 | -17.5% |
| 1999 | 2.18 | -29.0% |
| 2000 | 1.94 | -11.1% |
| 2001 | 1.87 | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 2.99 | +59.4% |
| 2003 | 4 | +33.8% |
| 2004 | 4.03 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 2.55 | -36.8% |
| 2006 | 2.83 | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 2.25 | -20.5% |
| 2008 | 2.95 | +30.9% |
| 2009 | 7.22 | +145.1% |
| 2010 | 7.56 | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 7.03 | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 6 | -14.6% |
| 2013 | 5.38 | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 4.9 | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 3.98 | -18.7% |
| 2016 | 2.98 | -25.2% |
| 2017 | 2.74 | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 2.7 | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 3.51 | +29.7% |
| 2020 | 5.48 | +56.2% |
| 2021 | 6.03 | +10.1% |
| 2022 | 3.79 | -37.2% |
| 2023 | 3.52 | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 3.6 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 3.62 | +0.7% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 3.62 is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 72% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 3.62 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.56, 65% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +145.1% | 2.95 | 7.22 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.91 | 2.18 | 5.33 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.26 | 1.87 | 7.22 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.68 | 2.7 | 7.56 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.34 | 3.52 | 6.03 | 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 unemployment rate in Iceland?
- Unemployment rate in Iceland was 3.62 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.56 in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.87 in 2001.
- How does Iceland rank for unemployment rate?
- Iceland ranks 125th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).