Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in Iceland
Iceland: Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita was 53.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in Iceland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Iceland stood at 53.8%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Iceland peaked at 53.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 27.8%, in 2007.
That places Iceland 112th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 48.5% | — |
| 1962 | 51.4% | +5.9% |
| 1963 | 45.5% | -11.5% |
| 1964 | 50.0% | +10.0% |
| 1965 | 46.2% | -7.7% |
| 1966 | 45.9% | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 41.0% | -10.7% |
| 1968 | 40.9% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 42.9% | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 37.5% | -12.5% |
| 1971 | 41.9% | +11.6% |
| 1972 | 47.5% | +13.5% |
| 1973 | 43.2% | -9.1% |
| 1974 | 43.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 42.5% | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 41.7% | -2.0% |
| 1977 | 38.3% | -8.1% |
| 1978 | 39.1% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 34.6% | -11.5% |
| 1980 | 45.0% | +30.0% |
| 1981 | 47.5% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 48.7% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 41.3% | -15.2% |
| 1984 | 43.8% | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 45.5% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 45.8% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 44.4% | -3.0% |
| 1988 | 43.1% | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 45.1% | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 43.8% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 44.4% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 46.2% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 48.0% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 43.1% | -10.1% |
| 1995 | 42.6% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 38.6% | -9.4% |
| 1997 | 37.3% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 35.0% | -6.1% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 33.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 32.9% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 28.6% | -13.0% |
| 2003 | 28.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 29.2% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 29.1% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 30.3% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 27.8% | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 32.9% | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 31.6% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 39.6% | +25.1% |
| 2011 | 43.0% | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 41.1% | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 38.8% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 36.3% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 38.6% | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 40.7% | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 40.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 45.4% | +11.0% |
| 2019 | 45.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 50.0% | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 51.1% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 53.8% | +5.4% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 53.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 53.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31.9%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45.8% | 40.9% | 51.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 40.9% | 34.6% | 47.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.0% | 41.3% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.2% | 33.3% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.4% | 27.8% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.0% | 36.3% | 45.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.4% | 46.5% | 53.8% | 4 |
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 share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Iceland?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in Iceland was 53.8% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.8% in 2007.
- How does Iceland rank for share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita?
- Iceland ranks 112th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of domestic cereal supply allocated to direct human food, rather than animal feed or biofuels. GDP is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs across countries.