Labor participation rate in Iceland 2010-2021, by background

Labor participation rates among the native-born and foreign-born population in Iceland was even from 2009 to 2019. Both groups had a participation rate well above 80 percent, some years even above 90 percent. In 2021, the rate was 84.9 percent for the native-born population and 86.3 percent for the foreign-born.

Very high participation rate

Iceland has the third highest labor force participation rate in the world, only beaten by Qatar and Madagascar. In Iceland, the employment rate was higher among male immigrants than among female immigrants.

Foreigners at risk of poverty and low levels of unmet medical examinations

The rate of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was higher among the foreign-born population in Iceland than among the native-born. However, a very high share of the foreign-born population reported that they had no unmet needs of medical examination, showing that immigrants in Iceland have access to health care.