Share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland
Iceland: Share of land area used for agriculture was 16.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland is 16.2%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 12.5% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland peaked at 21.1% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 16.2%, in 2023.
That places Iceland 162nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 21.1% | — |
| 1962 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 21.1% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 20.0% | -5.6% |
| 1971 | 19.9% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 19.8% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 19.7% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 19.6% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 19.5% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 19.4% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 19.3% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 19.2% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 19.1% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 19.0% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 19.0% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 19.0% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 18.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 18.9% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 18.9% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 18.9% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 18.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 18.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 18.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 18.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 18.7% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18.7% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 18.6% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 18.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 18.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 18.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 18.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16.2% | -12.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 21.1% | 21.1% | 21.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.0% | 19.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.9% | 18.8% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.8% | 18.7% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 18.6% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.0% | 16.2% | 18.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 159 Algeria 17.4% compare
- 160 Fiji 17.1% compare
- 161 Saint Lucia 16.3% compare
- 163 Republic of Korea 16.1% compare
- 164 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 15.5% compare
- 165 Vanuatu 15.3% 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 share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Iceland was 16.2% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.2% in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Iceland ranks 162nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.