Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Iceland

Iceland: Employment by main economic activity - Regions was 202,900 Persons in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
202,900 Persons
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
42nd
of 43 countries
All-time high
203,400 Persons
in 2018
All-time low
141,800 Persons
in 1995
Years of data
25
1995–2019

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Iceland, 1995–2019

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1995200720191995: 141.8k Persons1996: 142.0k Persons1997: 141.9k Persons1998: 147.8k Persons1999: 153.4k Persons2000: 156.3k Persons2001: 159.0k Persons2002: 156.7k Persons2003: 157.0k Persons2004: 156.0k Persons2005: 161.4k Persons2006: 169.6k Persons2007: 177.2k Persons2008: 179.1k Persons2009: 168.0k Persons2010: 167.4k Persons2011: 167.4k Persons2012: 169.1k Persons2013: 174.9k Persons2014: 177.7k Persons2015: 181.4k Persons2016: 189.6k Persons2017: 197.6k Persons2018: 203.4k Persons2019: 202.9k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

In 2019, employment by main economic activity - regions in Iceland stood at 202,900 Persons.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment by main economic activity - regions in Iceland peaked at 203,400 Persons in 2018 and was at its lowest, 141,800 Persons, in 1995.

Iceland ranks 42nd of 43 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Iceland, 1995 to 2019.
Year Persons Change
1995 141,800 Persons
1996 142,000 Persons +0.1%
1997 141,900 Persons -0.1%
1998 147,800 Persons +4.2%
1999 153,400 Persons +3.8%
2000 156,300 Persons +1.9%
2001 159,000 Persons +1.7%
2002 156,700 Persons -1.4%
2003 157,000 Persons +0.2%
2004 156,000 Persons -0.6%
2005 161,400 Persons +3.5%
2006 169,600 Persons +5.1%
2007 177,200 Persons +4.5%
2008 179,100 Persons +1.1%
2009 168,000 Persons -6.2%
2010 167,400 Persons -0.4%
2011 167,400 Persons +0.0%
2012 169,100 Persons +1.0%
2013 174,900 Persons +3.4%
2014 177,700 Persons +1.6%
2015 181,400 Persons +2.1%
2016 189,600 Persons +4.5%
2017 197,600 Persons +4.2%
2018 203,400 Persons +2.9%
2019 202,900 Persons -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 145,380 Persons 141,800 Persons 153,400 Persons 5
2000s 164,030 Persons 156,000 Persons 179,100 Persons 10
2010s 183,140 Persons 167,400 Persons 203,400 Persons 10

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 39 Luxembourg 516,030 Persons compare
  2. 40 Cyprus 506,700 Persons compare
  3. 41 Malta 325,240 Persons compare
  4. 43 Japan 0 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 49 places →

More economy & growth data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment by main economic activity - regions in Iceland?
Employment by main economic activity - regions in Iceland was 202,900 Persons in 2019, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 203,400 Persons in 2018.
What is the lowest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 141,800 Persons in 1995.
How does Iceland rank for employment by main economic activity - regions?
Iceland ranks 42nd out of 43 countries with data for 2019.
Is employment by main economic activity - regions rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Employment by main economic activity - Regions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment by main economic activity - Regions in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/employment-by-main-economic-activity-regions/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment by main economic activity - Regions
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
49 places, 1,247 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides indicators on employment by 10 broad activities and labour utilisation, in large regions (TL2) and small regions (TL3). Data source and definition Employment data is collected from Eurostat for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Employment is measured at place of work. Labour utilisation is measured by the number of employment at place of work per capita, for total activity. See the Regional data sources. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). See the OECD Territorial grid. Use of economic data on small regions TL3 regions are grouped into typologies based on shared characteristics. For economic analysis, TL3 regions belonging to the same Functional Urban Area (FUA) with more than 250,000 inhabitants are aggregated into a single metropolitan region to reduce distortions from commuting. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table. Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.