Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax in Iceland

Iceland: Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax was 0.2506 in 2017. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2017)
0.2506
Change on year
down 5.5%
World rank
45th
of 48 countries
All-time high
0.3138
in 2008
All-time low
0.2489
in 2013
Years of data
15
2003–2017

Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax in Iceland, 2003–2017

00.10.20.32003201020172003: 0.2522004: 0.2612005: 0.2892006: 0.3072007: 0.2982008: 0.3142009: 0.2762010: 0.2612011: 0.252012: 0.2612013: 0.2492014: 0.2742015: 0.2612016: 0.2652017: 0.251

Source: Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2017, income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Iceland stood at 0.2506.

The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Iceland peaked at 0.3138 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.2489, in 2013.

Iceland ranks 45th of 48 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.2852 0.2524 0.3138 7
2010s 0.259 0.2489 0.2737 8

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 42 Slovenia 0.2628 compare
  2. 43 Norway 0.2602 compare
  3. 44 Finland 0.2584 compare
  4. 46 Belgium 0.2432 compare
  5. 47 Czechia 0.2432 compare
  6. 48 Slovakia 0.2362 compare

See the full ranking of 48 places β†’

More poverty & inequality data for Iceland

All data for Iceland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Iceland?
Income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Iceland was 0.2506 in 2017, according to Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 0.3138 in 2008.
What is the lowest income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2489 in 2013.
How does Iceland rank for income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax?
Iceland ranks 45th out of 48 countries with data for 2017.
Is income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax
Source
Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
48 places, 1,046 data points, 1963–2024
Last refreshed

The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income after taxes and benefits.