Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in Iceland

Iceland: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 4.7% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
4.7%
Change on year
down 14.1%
World rank
108th
of 109 countries
All-time high
8.5%
in 2002
All-time low
3.4%
in 2010
Years of data
26
1991–2016

Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in Iceland, 1991–2016

024681991200320161991: 6.3 %1992: 6.4 %1993: 6.2 %1994: 6.4 %1995: 6.3 %1996: 6.3 %1997: 6.4 %1998: 6.3 %1999: 6.2 %2000: 6.3 %2001: 7.8 %2002: 8.5 %2003: 8 %2004: 6.6 %2005: 6.3 %2006: 6 %2007: 8.5 %2008: 3.8 %2009: 3.5 %2010: 3.4 %2011: 3.6 %2012: 3.9 %2013: 5.5 %2014: 5.1 %2015: 5.5 %2016: 4.7 %

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Iceland stood at 4.7%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.1% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Iceland peaked at 8.5% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2010.

That places Iceland 108th out of 109 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.3% 6.2% 6.4% 9
2000s 6.5% 3.5% 8.5% 10
2010s 4.5% 3.4% 5.5% 7

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 105 Belgium 5.9% compare
  2. 106 Netherlands 5.7% compare
  3. 107 Slovakia 5.6% compare
  4. 109 Cyprus 4.0% compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Iceland?
Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Iceland was 4.7% in 2016, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 8.5% in 2002.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2010.
How does Iceland rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
Iceland ranks 108th out of 109 countries with data for 2016.
Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank
Unit
%
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
109 places, 2,196 data points, 1913–2024
Last refreshed

The share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.