Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Iceland
Iceland: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 24.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
24.8%
Change on year
down 4.7%
World rank
43rd
of 184 countries
All-time high
27.7%
in 2021
All-time low
9.0%
in 1955
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Iceland, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Iceland is 24.8%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 4.7% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Iceland peaked at 27.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.0%, in 1955.
That places Iceland 43rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 9.5% | — |
| 1951 | 9.7% | +1.9% |
| 1952 | 10.1% | +4.2% |
| 1953 | 9.1% | -9.4% |
| 1954 | 9.1% | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 9.0% | -0.6% |
| 1956 | 10.0% | +10.7% |
| 1957 | 10.8% | +8.1% |
| 1958 | 10.2% | -5.0% |
| 1959 | 10.2% | -0.7% |
| 1960 | 11.0% | +7.9% |
| 1961 | 10.9% | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 11.0% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 10.5% | -5.1% |
| 1964 | 10.3% | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 10.3% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 10.5% | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 11.9% | +13.1% |
| 1968 | 13.8% | +15.8% |
| 1969 | 13.7% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 14.0% | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 12.7% | -8.8% |
| 1972 | 14.9% | +16.8% |
| 1973 | 14.5% | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 15.2% | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 16.5% | +9.1% |
| 1976 | 17.2% | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 15.7% | -8.9% |
| 1978 | 16.0% | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 16.1% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 15.8% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 16.5% | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 16.8% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 19.1% | +13.5% |
| 1984 | 17.4% | -9.0% |
| 1985 | 18.4% | +5.8% |
| 1986 | 18.4% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 17.8% | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 18.1% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 19.5% | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 19.6% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 19.6% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 20.7% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 21.0% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 20.9% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 21.0% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 20.2% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 20.7% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 21.3% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 21.0% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 22.2% | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 21.9% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 23.3% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 23.2% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 22.2% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 22.6% | +9.1% |
| 2007 | 23.1% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 22.7% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 24.9% | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 25.6% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 24.4% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 24.9% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 23.8% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 24.4% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 25.6% | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 24.4% | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | +14.3% |
| 2021 | 27.7% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 26.0% | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 24.8% | -4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.8% | 9.0% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 11.4% | 10.3% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.3% | 12.7% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.8% | 15.8% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.6% | 19.6% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.7% | 20.7% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.6% | 23.8% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.5% | 24.8% | 27.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 40 Serbia 24.9% compare
- 41 New Zealand 24.9% compare
- 42 Aruba 24.9% compare
- 44 Mauritania 24.7% compare
- 45 Algeria 24.6% compare
- 46 North Macedonia 24.5% compare
More economy & growth data for Iceland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.96 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 51.52 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 5.07 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.9908 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.274 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 26,937 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 15.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Iceland?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Iceland was 24.8% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 27.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.0% in 1955.
- How does Iceland rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Iceland ranks 43rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.