Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland

Iceland: Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on was 0.0856 in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
0.0856
Change on year
down 13.0%
World rank
64th
of 79 countries
All-time high
0.2185
in 2001
All-time low
0.0198
in 1999
Years of data
23
1998–2020

Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland, 1998–2020

00.050.10.150.21998200920201998: 0.021999: 0.022000: 0.0222001: 0.2182002: 0.1952003: 0.1872004: 0.1742005: 0.1722006: 0.1832007: 0.1852008: 0.1812009: 0.1712010: 0.1852011: 0.2032012: 0.1742013: 0.1522014: 0.1352015: 0.1272016: 0.1032017: 0.1142018: 0.1062019: 0.0982020: 0.086

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

In 2020, social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland stood at 0.0856.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.0% on the previous year and down 53.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland peaked at 0.2185 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.0198, in 1999.

That places Iceland 64th out of 79 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government) in Iceland, 1998 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1998 0.0203
1999 0.0198 -2.5%
2000 0.0223 +12.6%
2001 0.2185 +878.9%
2002 0.1951 -10.7%
2003 0.187 -4.1%
2004 0.1741 -6.9%
2005 0.1724 -1.0%
2006 0.1826 +5.9%
2007 0.1849 +1.3%
2008 0.1808 -2.2%
2009 0.1712 -5.3%
2010 0.1854 +8.3%
2011 0.2029 +9.5%
2012 0.1742 -14.2%
2013 0.1524 -12.5%
2014 0.1348 -11.5%
2015 0.1267 -6.0%
2016 0.103 -18.7%
2017 0.1139 +10.6%
2018 0.106 -6.9%
2019 0.0984 -7.2%
2020 0.0856 -13.0%

Iceland compared with similar countries

  • Iceland's 0.0856 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.2134, 40% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • Iceland's 0.0856 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1767, 48% of the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on 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
2001 +878.9% 0.0223 0.2185

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.0201 0.0198 0.0203 2
2000s 0.1689 0.0223 0.2185 10
2010s 0.1398 0.0984 0.2029 10
2020s 0.0856 0.0856 0.0856 1

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 61 Belarus 0.0924 compare
  2. 62 Finland 0.0883 compare
  3. 63 Spain 0.0871 compare
  4. 65 Germany 0.0754 compare
  5. 66 Bulgaria 0.0674 compare
  6. 67 Russian Federation 0.0637 compare

See the full ranking of 79 places →

More public sector data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland?
Social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland was 0.0856 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 0.2185 in 2001.
What is the lowest social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0198 in 1999.
How does Iceland rank for social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on?
Iceland ranks 64th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
Is social benefits, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 53.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/social-benefits-ratio-of-this-level-of-government-s-expenditure-on-this-item-to-total/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Social benefits, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
79 places, 1,532 data points, 1972–2020
Last refreshed

The Fiscal Decentralization dataset includes fiscal decentralization indicators for a sample of IMF member countries. The following indicators are included in the dataset: Revenue and Expenditure Decentralization Shares; Transfer dependency and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances; Deficit and Debt; Allocation of expenditure (economic classification); Allocation of expenditure (functional classification); Allocation of non-Tax Revenues; and Allocation of Taxes.