Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland
Iceland: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 6.3% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland, 2003–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland is 6.3%, measured in 2019.
The figure is down 17.6% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland peaked at 7.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2013.
That places Iceland 109th out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6.3% | — |
| 2004 | 5.7% | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | +14.6% |
| 2006 | 6.6% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | +7.3% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | -19.6% |
| 2014 | 6.3% | +16.8% |
| 2015 | 6.1% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 6.5% | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | +21.9% |
| 2019 | 6.3% | -17.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.4% | 5.7% | 7.0% | 7 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 5.4% | 7.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Iceland was 6.3% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2013.
- How does Iceland rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Iceland ranks 109th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.