Share of employment in agriculture in Iceland
Iceland: Share of employment in agriculture was 3.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Iceland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture in Iceland is 3.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Iceland peaked at 10.5% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2025.
Iceland ranks 142nd 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.
Share of employment in agriculture in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.2% | — |
| 1992 | 10.5% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | -12.1% |
| 1994 | 9.1% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 9.6% | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 10.0% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 9.1% | -8.9% |
| 1998 | 8.6% | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 8.9% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -11.5% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 6.3% | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 5.9% | -6.3% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | -22.2% |
| 2009 | 4.8% | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +15.6% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -19.9% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +7.3% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | -7.7% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | -2.0% |
| 2025 | 3.6% | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.5% | 8.6% | 10.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 4.6% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.6% | 3.8% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.6% | 4.1% | 6 |
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 employment in agriculture in Iceland?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Iceland was 3.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 10.5% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2025.
- How does Iceland rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Iceland ranks 142nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. 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); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.