Beef production in Iceland
Iceland: Beef production was 4,860 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4,860 tonnes
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
148th
of 198 countries
All-time high
4,965 tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
1,800 tonnes
in 1968
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in Iceland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, beef production in Iceland stood at 4,860 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 39.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in Iceland peaked at 4,965 tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,800 tonnes, in 1968.
Iceland ranks 148th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Beef production in Iceland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 2,600 tonnes | +30.0% |
| 1963 | 2,600 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2,700 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1965 | 2,700 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2,620 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 2,719 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 1,800 tonnes | -33.8% |
| 1969 | 1,913 tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1970 | 2,190 tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1971 | 2,165 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 2,400 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1973 | 2,572 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1974 | 2,660 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 2,880 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1976 | 2,446 tonnes | -15.1% |
| 1977 | 2,191 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 1978 | 2,593 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1979 | 3,324 tonnes | +28.2% |
| 1980 | 2,224 tonnes | -33.1% |
| 1981 | 2,538 tonnes | +14.1% |
| 1982 | 2,289 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1983 | 2,759 tonnes | +20.5% |
| 1984 | 2,807 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 3,239 tonnes | +15.4% |
| 1986 | 3,416 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 3,302 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 2,923 tonnes | -11.5% |
| 1989 | 2,890 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 2,932 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 2,998 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 3,380 tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1993 | 3,401 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 3,541 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 3,061 tonnes | -13.6% |
| 1996 | 3,142 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 3,441 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1998 | 3,443 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 3,664 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2000 | 3,626 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 3,683 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 3,639 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 3,624 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 3,611 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 3,540 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 3,196 tonnes | -9.7% |
| 2007 | 3,557 tonnes | +11.3% |
| 2008 | 3,607 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 3,761 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 3,895 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 3,858 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 4,114 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 4,082 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 3,495 tonnes | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 3,605 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 4,387 tonnes | +21.7% |
| 2017 | 4,614 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 4,775 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 4,826 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 4,652 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 4,965 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 4,948 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 4,885 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 4,860 tonnes | -0.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 4,860 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 42,740 tonnes, 11% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 4,860 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 86,510 tonnes, 6% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Beef production in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | -33.8% | 2,719 tonnes | 1,800 tonnes |
| 1980 | -33.1% | 3,324 tonnes | 2,224 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,406 tonnes | 1,800 tonnes | 2,719 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2,542 tonnes | 2,165 tonnes | 3,324 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,839 tonnes | 2,224 tonnes | 3,416 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,300 tonnes | 2,932 tonnes | 3,664 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,584 tonnes | 3,196 tonnes | 3,761 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,165 tonnes | 3,495 tonnes | 4,826 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,862 tonnes | 4,652 tonnes | 4,965 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef production in Iceland?
- Beef production in Iceland was 4,860 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest beef production recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 4,965 tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,800 tonnes in 1968.
- How does Iceland rank for beef production?
- Iceland ranks 148th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Beef production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).