Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Iceland
Iceland: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 86.7% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Iceland recorded 86.7% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Iceland peaked at 86.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 79.8%, in 1991.
Iceland ranks 36th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 79.8% | — |
| 1992 | 80.7% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 82.0% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 81.6% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 81.9% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 82.4% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 82.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 82.5% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 82.7% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 82.8% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 83.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 83.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 83.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 83.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 83.4% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 83.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 83.7% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 83.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 83.9% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 83.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 83.5% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 83.3% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 83.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 83.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 83.3% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 83.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 83.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 84.1% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 84.2% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.0% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 84.9% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 86.7% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 86.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.8% | 79.8% | 82.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 83.4% | 82.8% | 83.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.6% | 83.3% | 84.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.8% | 83.0% | 86.7% | 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 wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Iceland?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Iceland was 86.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 86.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.8% in 1991.
- How does Iceland rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Iceland ranks 36th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.