Youth unemployment rate by country of birth in Iceland
Iceland: Youth unemployment rate by country of birth was 14.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
14.0%
Change on year
up 9.4%
World rank
39th
of 45 countries
All-time high
19.0%
in 2010
All-time low
7.8%
in 2016
Years of data
26
1995–2025
Youth unemployment rate by country of birth in Iceland, 1995–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 14.0% for youth unemployment rate by country of birth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.4% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth unemployment rate by country of birth in Iceland peaked at 19.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.8%, in 2016.
Iceland ranks 39th of 45 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Youth unemployment rate by country of birth in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 14.2% | — |
| 1996 | 14.3% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 12.1% | -15.4% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | +23.1% |
| 2004 | 15.1% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 8.8% | -41.7% |
| 2006 | 12.4% | +40.9% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | -18.5% |
| 2008 | 11.8% | +16.8% |
| 2009 | 17.9% | +51.7% |
| 2010 | 19.0% | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 17.1% | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 14.2% | -11.8% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | -8.9% |
| 2016 | 7.8% | -36.6% |
| 2017 | 10.0% | +28.2% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -13.0% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | +33.3% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | +19.8% |
| 2021 | 13.8% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 13.2% | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 12.8% | -3.0% |
| 2025 | 14.0% | +9.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.5% | 12.1% | 14.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 13.0% | 8.8% | 17.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 7.8% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 12.7% | 14.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 36 Malta 17.2% compare
- 37 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 16.3% compare
- 37 United Kingdom 16.3% compare
- 40 Austria 13.5% compare
- 41 Türkiye 13.0% compare
- 42 Netherlands 10.7% compare
- 42 Netherlands 10.7% compare
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 youth unemployment rate by country of birth in Iceland?
- Youth unemployment rate by country of birth in Iceland was 14.0% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest youth unemployment rate by country of birth recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 2010.
- What is the lowest youth unemployment rate by country of birth recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.8% in 2016.
- How does Iceland rank for youth unemployment rate by country of birth?
- Iceland ranks 39th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is youth unemployment rate by country of birth rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Youth unemployment rate by country of birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).