Number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland
Iceland: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 360,275 people in 2019. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland, 2003–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2019, number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland stood at 360,275 people. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland peaked at 360,275 people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 289,412 people, in 2003.
That places Iceland 120th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 289,412 people | — |
| 2004 | 291,577 people | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 296,624 people | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 303,222 people | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 311,315 people | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 317,221 people | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 318,189 people | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 317,566 people | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 318,413 people | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 320,608 people | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 323,478 people | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 327,386 people | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 330,701 people | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 335,439 people | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 343,400 people | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 351,775 people | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 360,275 people | +2.4% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 360,275 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.58 million people, 4% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 360,275 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.39 million people, 4% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 303,937 people | 289,412 people | 318,189 people | 7 |
| 2010s | 332,904 people | 317,566 people | 360,275 people | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 117 Luxembourg 665,863 people compare
- 118 Montenegro 609,465 people compare
- 119 Malta 550,570 people compare
More poverty & inequality data for Iceland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 4 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.54 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,430 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -18.09 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 35.57 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 35.6% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Iceland was 360,275 people in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 360,275 people in 2019.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 289,412 people in 2003.
- How does Iceland rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Iceland ranks 120th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.