Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data (country) in Iceland
Iceland: Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data (country) was 6.5% in 2026. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data in Iceland, 1998–2026
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2026, unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data in Iceland stood at 6.5%.
The figure is up 22.6% on the previous year and up 160.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data in Iceland peaked at 7.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2000.
That places Iceland 21st out of 47 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data (country) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.1% | — |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -29.0% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -13.6% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | +57.9% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | -17.2% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -24.0% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | +110.5% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | +67.5% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 6.0% | -18.9% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | -20.0% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -24.4% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | -19.4% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +33.3% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | +134.4% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | -40.0% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | -26.7% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -5.9% |
| 2025 | 5.3% | +65.6% |
| 2026 | 6.5% | +22.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 6.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.0%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 6.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.7%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data (country) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +134.4% | 3.2% | 7.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 1.9% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 2.4% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.2% | 7.5% | 7 |
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 rates by country of birth - quarterly data in Iceland?
- Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data in Iceland was 6.5% in 2026, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2000.
- How does Iceland rank for unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data?
- Iceland ranks 21st out of 47 countries with data for 2026.
- Is unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 160.0%. 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 Unemployment rates by country of birth - quarterly data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).