Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iceland

Iceland: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 2.1 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2.1 percent
Change on year
up 10.5%
World rank
89th
of 125 countries
All-time high
2.1 percent
in 2023
All-time low
1.3 percent
in 2020
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iceland, 2015–2023

00.511.522015201920232015: 1.7 percent2016: 1.7 percent2017: 1.5 percent2018: 1.5 percent2019: 1.5 percent2020: 1.3 percent2021: 1.6 percent2022: 1.9 percent2023: 2.1 percent

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.

Analysis

In 2023, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iceland stood at 2.1 percent. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of up 10.5% on the previous year and up 23.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iceland peaked at 2.1 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.3 percent, in 2020.

Iceland ranks 89th of 125 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.58 percent 1.5 percent 1.7 percent 5
2020s 1.73 percent 1.3 percent 2.1 percent 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 86 Belgium 2.4 percent compare
  2. 86 Denmark 2.4 percent compare
  3. 88 Vietnam 2.2 percent compare
  4. 92 Bulgaria 2 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iceland?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iceland was 2.1 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 2.1 percent in 2023.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.3 percent in 2020.
How does Iceland rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Iceland ranks 89th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished
Unit
percent
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
125 places, 1,042 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.