Share of cereals allocated to human food in Iceland
Iceland: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 53.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food 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 in Iceland stood at 53.8%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure 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 in Iceland peaked at 53.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 27.8%, in 2007.
Iceland ranks 112th of 192 countries on this measure, 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 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 in Iceland?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food 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 recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.8% in 2007.
- How does Iceland rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Iceland ranks 112th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.