Economy - overview:
Iceland's economy combines a capitalist structure and free-market principles with an extensive welfare system. Except for a brief period during the 2008 crisis, Iceland has achieved high growth, low unemployment, and a remarkably even distribution of income. The economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 40% of merchandise export earnings, more than 12% of GDP, and employs nearly 5% of the work force. It remains sensitive to declining fish stocks, as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Since 2010, tourism has become a main driver of Icelandic economic growth, with the number of tourists reaching 4.5 times the Icelandic population in 2016.Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, particularly within the fields of tourism, software production, and biotechnology. Abundant geothermal and hydropower sources have attracted substantial foreign investment in the aluminum sector, boosted economic growth, and sparked some interest from high-tech firms looking to establish data centers using cheap green energy.Following the privatization of the banking sector in the early 2000s, domestic banks expanded aggressively in foreign markets, and consumers and businesses borrowed heavily in foreign currencies. Worsening global financial conditions throughout 2008 resulted in a sharp depreciation of the krona vis-a-vis other major currencies. The foreign exposure of Icelandic banks, whose loans and other assets totaled nearly nine times the country's GDP, became unsustainable. Iceland's three largest banks collapsed in late 2008. The country secured over $10 billion in loans from the IMF and other countries to stabilize its currency and financial sector, and to back government guarantees for foreign deposits in Icelandic banks. GDP fell 6.8% in 2009, and unemployment peaked at 9.4% in February 2009. Three new banks were established to take over the domestic assets of the collapsed banks. Two of them have majority ownership by the state, which intends to re-privatize them.Since the collapse of Iceland's financial sector, government economic priorities have included stabilizing the krona, implementing capital controls, reducing Iceland's high budget deficit, containing inflation, addressing high household debt, restructuring the financial sector, and diversifying the economy. Capital controls were lifted in March 2017, but some financial protections, such as reserve requirements for specified investments connected to new inflows of foreign currency, remain in place. Most macroeconomic indicators and employment have rebounded to pre-crisis levels, driven primarily by the unprecedented growth in tourism – averaging over 20% annually – following the well-publicized volcanic eruption in 2010.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$17.73 billion (2017 est.)
$16.8 billion (2016 est.)
$15.67 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 153
$24.85 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
5.5% (2017 est.)
7.2% (2016 est.)
4.1% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$52,100 (2017 est.)
$50,000 (2016 est.)
$47,100 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 24
28.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
29.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
24.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 49%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 22.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 21.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 0.1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 49.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -42.6% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 5.8%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 19.8%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 74.4% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
potatoes, carrots, green vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers; mutton, chicken, pork, beef, dairy products; fish
tourism, fish processing; aluminum smelting;; geothermal power, hydropower; medical/pharmaceutical products
2.4% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
198,700 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 4.8%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 22.2%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 73% (2008)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
2.8% (2017 est.)
3% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
NA%
note: 332,100 families (2011 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: NA%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: NA%
28 (2006)
25 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 135
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $9.962 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $9.735 billion (2017 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
40.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
0.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
47.4% of GDP (2017 est.)
54.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
calendar year
1.8% (2017 est.)
1.7% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
5.4% (31 January 2012)
5.75% (31 December 2010)
country comparison to the world: 77
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
7.6% (31 December 2017 est.)
8.24% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$4.653 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$4.251 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$8.506 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$8.693 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$19.78 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$21.18 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$2.825 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$2.021 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$1.996 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
$1.54 billion (2017 est.)
$1.589 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$4.6 billion (2017 est.)
$4.483 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
fish and fish products (42%), aluminum (38%), agricultural products, medicinal and medical products, ferro-silicon (2015)
Netherlands 25.4%, UK 11.3%, Spain 10.5%, US 7.8%, Germany 7%, France 6.7%, Norway 4.2% (2016)
$5.674 billion (2017 est.)
$5.315 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Germany 10.1%, US 10%, Norway 9.1%, Netherlands 7.5%, China 7.4%, Denmark 6.1%, UK 5.8% (2016)
$6.14 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$7.226 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$27.14 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$25.02 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$12.89 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$13.89 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$15.54 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$17.64 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar -
111.7 (2017 est.)
120.81 (2016 est.)
120.81 (2015 est.)
131.92 (2014 est.)
116.77 (2013 est.)