Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland

Iceland: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) was -47.09 billion current LCU in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
-47.09 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 53.2%
World rank
94th
of 156 countries
All-time high
316.36 billion current LCU
in 2016
All-time low
-235.89 billion current LCU
in 2021
Years of data
52
1972–2023

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland, 1972–2023

-200.0B0200.0B400.0B197219972023

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

The most recent figure for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland is -47.09 billion current LCU, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 53.2% on the previous year and down 196.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland peaked at 316.36 billion current LCU in 2016 and was at its lowest, -235.89 billion current LCU, in 2021.

Iceland ranks 94th of 156 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) in Iceland, 1972 to 2023.
Year current LCU Change
1972 4.60 million current LCU
1973 -600,000 current LCU -113.0%
1974 -34.00 million current LCU +5566.7%
1975 -49.90 million current LCU +46.8%
1976 31.70 million current LCU -163.5%
1977 -14.50 million current LCU -145.7%
1978 -800,000 current LCU -94.5%
1979 -13.60 million current LCU +1600.0%
1980 75.80 million current LCU -657.4%
1981 241.50 million current LCU +218.6%
1982 318.00 million current LCU +31.7%
1983 -1.58 billion current LCU -597.2%
1984 879.40 million current LCU -155.6%
1985 -2.29 billion current LCU -361.0%
1986 -6.44 billion current LCU +180.8%
1987 -4.62 billion current LCU -28.2%
1988 -8.91 billion current LCU +92.7%
1989 -10.85 billion current LCU +21.8%
1990 -9.69 billion current LCU -10.7%
1991 -15.03 billion current LCU +55.1%
1992 -10.61 billion current LCU -29.5%
1993 -12.73 billion current LCU +20.0%
1994 -12.75 billion current LCU +0.2%
1995 -11.11 billion current LCU -12.8%
1996 -5.64 billion current LCU -49.3%
1997 2.21 billion current LCU -139.2%
1998 7.08 billion current LCU +220.4%
1999 17.44 billion current LCU +146.3%
2000 18.53 billion current LCU +6.3%
2001 -463.75 million current LCU -102.5%
2002 -10.15 billion current LCU +2089.4%
2003 -17.37 billion current LCU +71.0%
2004 7.41 billion current LCU -142.7%
2005 52.62 billion current LCU +609.9%
2006 75.87 billion current LCU +44.2%
2007 69.66 billion current LCU -8.2%
2008 -180.16 billion current LCU -358.6%
2009 -124.67 billion current LCU -30.8%
2010 -98.96 billion current LCU -20.6%
2011 -110.27 billion current LCU +11.4%
2012 -39.49 billion current LCU -64.2%
2013 -15.88 billion current LCU -59.8%
2014 23.78 billion current LCU -249.8%
2015 5.16 billion current LCU -78.3%
2016 316.36 billion current LCU +6028.8%
2017 60.22 billion current LCU -81.0%
2018 43.21 billion current LCU -28.3%
2019 -27.83 billion current LCU -164.4%
2020 -235.15 billion current LCU +744.8%
2021 -235.89 billion current LCU +0.3%
2022 -100.70 billion current LCU -57.3%
2023 -47.09 billion current LCU -53.2%

Iceland compared with similar countries

  • Iceland's -47.09 billion current LCU is below the median for high income countries, which is -2.76 billion current LCU, 17.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Iceland's -47.09 billion current LCU is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is -6.97 billion current LCU, 6.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) 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.

YearChange FromTo
2016 +6028.8% 5.16 billion current LCU 316.36 billion current LCU
1974 -5566.7% -600,000 current LCU -34.00 million current LCU
2002 -2089.4% -463.75 million current LCU -10.15 billion current LCU
1979 -1600.0% -800,000 current LCU -13.60 million current LCU

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s -9.64 million current LCU -49.90 million current LCU 31.70 million current LCU 8
1980s -3.32 billion current LCU -10.85 billion current LCU 879.40 million current LCU 10
1990s -5.08 billion current LCU -15.03 billion current LCU 17.44 billion current LCU 10
2000s -10.87 billion current LCU -180.16 billion current LCU 75.87 billion current LCU 10
2010s 15.63 billion current LCU -110.27 billion current LCU 316.36 billion current LCU 10
2020s -154.71 billion current LCU -235.89 billion current LCU -47.09 billion current LCU 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 91 Canada -36.34 billion current LCU compare
  2. 92 North Macedonia -41.88 billion current LCU compare
  3. 93 Sweden -43.01 billion current LCU compare
  4. 95 Burundi -47.83 billion current LCU compare
  5. 96 Spain -50.45 billion current LCU compare
  6. 97 Mauritius -56.16 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 156 places →

More public sector data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland?
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland was -47.09 billion current LCU in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 316.36 billion current LCU in 2016.
What is the lowest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was -235.89 billion current LCU in 2021.
How does Iceland rank for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-)?
Iceland ranks 94th out of 156 countries with data for 2023.
Is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 196.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/net-lending-net-borrowing-current-lcu/iceland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/net-lending-net-borrowing-current-lcu/iceland/">Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Iceland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
156 places, 4,460 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.