Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Iceland
Iceland: Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median was 12.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% 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 60% of the median in Iceland is 12.9%, measured in 2019.
The figure is down 10.3% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Iceland peaked at 14.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 2004.
That places Iceland 104th 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.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 11.8% | — |
| 2004 | 9.9% | -15.9% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +19.4% |
| 2006 | 11.6% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 12.0% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 13.1% | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 13.0% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.2% | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 13.3% | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 13.2% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 11.8% | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 14.4% | +17.9% |
| 2019 | 12.9% | -10.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.9% | 9.9% | 13.1% | 7 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 11.8% | 14.4% | 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 60% of the median in Iceland?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Iceland was 12.9% 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 60% of the median recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 14.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 2004.
- How does Iceland rank for relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median?
- Iceland ranks 104th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% 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 60% of the median.