Iceland: Economy (2024)

  1. Home
  2. Global Insights
  3. By Country
  4. Iceland
  5. Economy
Economic Trivia

The economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 40% of export earnings, more than 12% of GDP, and employs nearly 5% of the work force.

Trade Source: United Nations Comtrade
Note: Top 3 trade partners are calculated by imports + exports.

Top 3 Trade Partners (2021): Netherlands, United States, and Germany
Top 3 Exported Goods (2021): Aluminum, Seafood, and Iron & Steel

Top Industries Source: CIA World Factbook

Fish Processing; Aluminum Smelting; Ferrosilicon Production; Geothermal Power

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) [1]

GDP, PPP (current international) $26,382,133,831 (2022)
GDP Growth Rate (annual %) 6.445% (2022)
GDP Per Capita, PPP (current international) $69,081 (2022)

Click on a row to display its 5-year graph on the right.

GDP Country Rank 147/197 (2022)

GDP Composition %

Note: GDP composition percentage may exceed 100. Manufacturing is included in the Industry figures and is also reported separately because it plays a critical role in many economies.

Economic Indicators [1]

Inflation, consumer prices (annual %) 8.309% (2022)
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) Data unavailable
Total tax rate (% of commercial profits) 31.9% (2019)
Real Interest Rate (5 year average %) -1.327% (2022)
Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) 10.447% (2022)
Current Account Balance (BoP, current US$) ($447,511,469) (2022)

Click on a row to display its 5-year graph on the right.

Labor and Employment [1]

Labor Force, Total 234,499 (2022)
Employment in Agriculture (% of total employment) 4.024% (2021)
Employment in Industry (% of total employment) 18.848% (2021)
Employment in Services (% of total employment) 77.127% (2021)
Unemployment Rate 3.809% (2022)

Click on a row to display its 5-year graph on the right.

Trade [1]

Imports of goods and services (current US$) $13,097,855,748 (2022)
Exports of goods and services (current US$) $12,894,673,408 (2022)
Total Merchandise Trade (% of GDP) 61.347% (2022)
FDI, net inflows (BoP, current US$) $961,239,136 (2022)
Commercial Service Exports (current US$) $5,405,129,311 (2022)

Click on a row to display its 5-year graph on the right.

Economic Snapshot [1]

Note: Percentile ranks are calculated using the latest available data for all countries within the last 5 years.

How to interpret the graph: The purpose of this graph is to take a snapshot of a country’s economy in comparison to other economies. For example, Iceland’s Exports rank is higher than (please wait...) of the countries in the dataset. For Exports, FDI and GDP measures, a higher rank (closer to 100%) indicates a stronger economy. Conversely, for Unemployment and Inflation, a lower rank (closer to 0%) indicates a stronger economy.

Due to unavailable data the following indicators have been omitted:

  • Exports
  • FDI, net inflows
  • GDP Growth Rate
  • GDP Per Capita
  • Inflation
  • Unemployment

Sources

  1. The World Bank
Iceland: Economy (2024)

FAQs

Is Iceland doing well economically? ›

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 3.0% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Iceland, go to our dedicated page.

What caused Iceland economic collapse? ›

Leading up to the crisis, Iceland's banks were increasingly operating in foreign currencies, with no credible lender of last resort in those currencies. The Icelandic banks never ran out of Icelandic kronas, but they did run out the foreign currency to service foreign depositors and claimholders.

Is Iceland having financial problems? ›

Iceland has made solid progress since the 2008 crisis and the last FSAP update in restructuring banks and implementing important financial sector reforms. It has transposed many EU Directives and Regulations into national law, improving the regulatory, supervisory, and crisis management frameworks.

Did Iceland pay back its debt? ›

Debts were effectively written-off. The UK and Netherlands have tried to force Iceland to repay some loans owed by Landesbanki, but the Icelandic people have twice refused in a referendum. The Icelandic people suffered a sharp recession and rise in unemployment.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Catherine Tremblay

Last Updated:

Views: 6475

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (67 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Catherine Tremblay

Birthday: 1999-09-23

Address: Suite 461 73643 Sherril Loaf, Dickinsonland, AZ 47941-2379

Phone: +2678139151039

Job: International Administration Supervisor

Hobby: Dowsing, Snowboarding, Rowing, Beekeeping, Calligraphy, Shooting, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Catherine Tremblay, I am a precious, perfect, tasty, enthusiastic, inexpensive, vast, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.