Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland
Iceland: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 7.4% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland, 2003–2019
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2019, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland stood at 7.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 19.6% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland peaked at 9.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2004.
Iceland ranks 121st of 123 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 7.6% | — |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -13.2% |
| 2005 | 7.6% | +15.2% |
| 2006 | 7.7% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 7.3% | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 8.1% | +11.0% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | -21.4% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | +15.2% |
| 2015 | 7.2% | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 7.8% | +8.3% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | -9.0% |
| 2018 | 9.2% | +29.6% |
| 2019 | 7.4% | -19.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.5% | 6.6% | 8.1% | 7 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 6.6% | 9.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 118 Czechia 8.3% compare
- 118 Kazakhstan 8.3% compare
- 120 Azerbaijan 8.1%
- 121 Denmark 7.4% compare
- 123 Slovenia 7.0% 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 poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Iceland was 7.4% in 2019, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 9.2% in 2018.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2004.
- How does Iceland rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Iceland ranks 121st out of 123 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. 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. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.