Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland
Iceland: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 3.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Iceland recorded 3.6% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.9% 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, 1.9%, in 2001.
Iceland ranks 126th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.5% | — |
| 1992 | 4.3% | +69.0% |
| 1993 | 5.3% | +22.1% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | -2.4% |
| 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% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 3.6% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.9% | 2.2% | 5.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 1.9% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 2.7% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.5% | 6.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,661 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,167 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,056 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,314 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0838 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iceland was 3.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), 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 1.9% in 2001.
- How does Iceland rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Iceland ranks 126th 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 down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (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
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.