Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland
Iceland: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 4.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland, 1990–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland stood at 4.5%.
That represents a change of up 26.5% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland peaked at 7.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1990.
That places Iceland 114th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.8% | — |
| 1991 | 2.5% | +45.0% |
| 1992 | 4.3% | +68.9% |
| 1993 | 5.3% | +22.0% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 3.6% | -30.7% |
| 1997 | 3.7% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -17.5% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -29.0% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -11.1% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | +59.4% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +33.8% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | -36.8% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -20.5% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +30.9% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | +145.1% |
| 2010 | 7.6% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 7.0% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 6.0% | -14.6% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 4.0% | -18.7% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | -25.2% |
| 2017 | 2.7% | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | +29.7% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +56.2% |
| 2021 | 6.0% | +10.1% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | -37.2% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 4.5% | +26.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.7% | 1.8% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 1.9% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 2.7% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 3.5% | 6.0% | 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, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland was 4.5% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1990.
- How does Iceland rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Iceland ranks 114th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. 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 Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.