Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Iceland

Iceland: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 18.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
18.3%
Change on year
up 15.8%
World rank
23rd
of 36 countries
All-time high
18.3%
in 2025
All-time low
8.6%
in 2008
Years of data
27
1999–2025

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Iceland, 1999–2025

051015201999201220251999: 12.7 Percentage2000: 12.9 Percentage2001: 9.5 Percentage2002: 10.5 Percentage2003: 12.6 Percentage2004: 11.9 Percentage2005: 12.6 Percentage2006: 12.1 Percentage2007: 11 Percentage2008: 8.6 Percentage2009: 9.2 Percentage2010: 9 Percentage2011: 9.8 Percentage2012: 11.5 Percentage2013: 12.1 Percentage2014: 12.4 Percentage2015: 12.8 Percentage2016: 13 Percentage2017: 13.4 Percentage2018: 15.3 Percentage2019: 13.7 Percentage2020: 13.4 Percentage2021: 15.7 Percentage2022: 16.4 Percentage2023: 16.5 Percentage2024: 15.8 Percentage2025: 18.3 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

In 2025, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Iceland stood at 18.3%. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

The figure is up 15.8% on the previous year and up 43.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Iceland peaked at 18.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 2008.

That places Iceland 23rd out of 36 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.7% 12.7% 12.7% 1
2000s 11.1% 8.6% 12.9% 10
2010s 12.3% 9.0% 15.3% 10
2020s 16.0% 13.4% 18.3% 6

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 20 Poland 20.0% compare
  2. 21 Slovenia 19.9% compare
  3. 22 Belgium 19.8% compare
  4. 23 Norway 18.3% compare
  5. 25 Montenegro 18.1% compare
  6. 26 Switzerland 17.2% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Iceland?
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Iceland was 18.3% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2025.
What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 2008.
How does Iceland rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
Iceland ranks 23rd out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

About this data

Indicator
Over-qualification rates by citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,011 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed