Government spending by function in Iceland
Iceland: Government spending by function was 23.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Iceland, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 23.9% for government spending by function in 2023.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Iceland peaked at 28.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2008.
That places Iceland 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 18.0% | — |
| 2008 | 13.9% | -22.6% |
| 2009 | 20.0% | +43.6% |
| 2010 | 21.2% | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 21.3% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 21.6% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 21.4% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 20.9% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | +35.2% |
| 2017 | 21.8% | -23.0% |
| 2018 | 22.4% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 24.5% | +9.1% |
| 2020 | 27.2% | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 26.6% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 23.3% | -12.5% |
| 2023 | 23.9% | +2.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 23.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 66% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 23.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 64% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending by function in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +43.6% | 13.9% | 20.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.3% | 13.9% | 20.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 20.9% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 23.3% | 27.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 33 Costa Rica 26.1% compare
- 34 Colombia 25.1% compare
- 35 Hungary 24.9% compare
- 37 United States 20.2% compare
More reference data data for Iceland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0288 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0708 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0964 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2576 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Iceland?
- Government spending by function in Iceland was 23.9% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2008.
- How does Iceland rank for government spending by function?
- Iceland ranks 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending by function. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.