Number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland
Iceland: Number of people employed in agriculture was 8,554 people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland is 8,554 people, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland peaked at 14,595 people in 1996 and was at its lowest, 7,762 people, in 2017.
Iceland ranks 168th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13,997 people | — |
| 1992 | 14,382 people | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 12,586 people | -12.5% |
| 1994 | 12,574 people | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 13,883 people | +10.4% |
| 1996 | 14,595 people | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 13,277 people | -9.0% |
| 1998 | 13,167 people | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 14,136 people | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 14,355 people | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 12,887 people | -10.2% |
| 2002 | 12,141 people | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 11,579 people | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 10,483 people | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 11,148 people | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 11,246 people | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 10,976 people | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 8,575 people | -21.9% |
| 2009 | 8,457 people | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 9,702 people | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 9,564 people | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 9,855 people | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 8,101 people | -17.8% |
| 2014 | 8,537 people | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 8,242 people | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 7,864 people | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 7,762 people | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 8,494 people | +9.4% |
| 2019 | 8,626 people | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 8,375 people | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 8,564 people | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 9,102 people | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 8,649 people | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 8,672 people | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 8,554 people | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13,622 people | 12,574 people | 14,595 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 11,185 people | 8,457 people | 14,355 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,675 people | 7,762 people | 9,855 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,653 people | 8,375 people | 9,102 people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 165 Samoa 14,753 people compare
- 166 Puerto Rico 13,142 people compare
- 167 Montenegro 10,912 people compare
- 169 Bahrain 7,791 people compare
- 170 Tonga 7,782 people compare
- 171 Saint Lucia 6,887 people compare
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 number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Iceland was 8,554 people in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 14,595 people in 1996.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,762 people in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Iceland ranks 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people employed in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people working in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.