Aid, poverty & equality · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Iceland: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 0.1% (2019), 130th of 151 in the world and 35th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $4.20/day is 0.1% (2019), 140th of 151 in the world and 40th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $8.30/day is 0.4% (2019), 141st of 151 in the world and 38th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia.
Extreme poverty
IcelandEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
IcelandEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
11 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Iceland in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.1%2019 | 130/151 | 35/47 | · | 0.1% | 0.1%2019 | ±0.0 ppsince 2009 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.1%2019 | 140/151 | 40/47 | · | 0.2% | 0.1%2019 | ±0.0 ppsince 2009 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.4%2019 | 141/151 | 38/47 | · | 0.6% | 0.4%2019 | +0.1 ppsince 2009 | 4.8% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 8.8%2017 | 129/145 | 43/47 | · | 9.2% | · | −1.3 ppsince 2007 | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 26.82019 | 139/151 | 39/47 | · | 26.2 | 26.82019 | −6.6%since 2009 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 22.4%2019 | 136/151 | 37/47 | · | 22.0% | 22.4%2019 | −1.6 ppsince 2009 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 9.4%2019 | 12/151 | 9/47 | · | 9.5% | 9.4%2019 | +0.3 ppsince 2009 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 131/167 | 24/47 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 7.9%2024 | 125/155 | 21/45 | · | · | 6.3% | — | 10.4% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 99.9%2024 | 1/145 | 1/46 | · | · | 100.0%2021 | — | 89.6% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 46.0%2025 | 9/190 | 2/52 | 34.9% | 42.9% | 38.1% | +4.8 ppsince 2015 | 31.7% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- National poverty rate−1.3 pp8.8% in 2017
- Gini index−6.6%26.8 in 2019
- Top 10% income share−1.6 pp22.4% in 2019
- Bottom 20% income share+0.3 pp9.4% in 2019
Worse than ten years ago
- Poverty, $8.30/day+0.1 pp0.4% in 2019
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Iceland and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Iceland. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Iceland | Greenland | Faroe Islands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 0.1%2019 | — | — |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 0.1%2019 | — | — |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 0.4%2019 | — | — |
| National poverty rate | 8.8%2017 | — | — |
| Gini index | 26.82019 | — | — |
| Top 10% income share | 22.4%2019 | — | — |
| Bottom 20% income share | 9.4%2019 | — | — |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | — | — |
| Food insecurity | 7.9%2024 | — | — |