Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland
Iceland: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 6.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland, 2003–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland stood at 6.1%.
That represents a change of down 16.7% on the previous year and down 43.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland peaked at 14.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2017.
That places Iceland 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 13.7% | — |
| 2004 | 13.6% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 12.5% | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | -30.8% |
| 2007 | 7.0% | -18.5% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | +53.4% |
| 2010 | 13.9% | +28.7% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 14.1% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 11.0% | -21.7% |
| 2014 | 10.2% | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | -21.6% |
| 2016 | 6.5% | -18.0% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | -31.0% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | +63.3% |
| 2019 | 6.1% | -16.7% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 6.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.3%, 32% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 6.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.5%, 15% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.5% | 7.0% | 13.7% | 7 |
| 2010s | 9.6% | 4.5% | 14.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 113 Belgium 7.0% compare
- 114 Austria 7.0% compare
- 115 Denmark 6.2% compare
- 117 Switzerland 6.0% compare
- 118 Netherlands 5.7% compare
- 119 Luxembourg 4.6% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Iceland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 4 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Iceland was 6.1% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2011.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- Iceland ranks 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.