Income share of the richest 20% — all countries

Income share of the richest 20% — Iceland

Income share of the richest 20% in Iceland in 2019 — 36.3%. Ranked 6 in the world out of 78. Since 2003, the indicator has fallen by 0.3 pp.

2019 36.3% +0.5 pp vs 2018
World rank 6of 78
Period maximum 40.8%2008
Period minimum 35.3%2013

Trend over time

2003–2019 · % of income

Income share of the richest 20% — Iceland, 2003–201934363840422003200520072009201120132015201720192003: 36.6%2004: 37.7%2005: 38.5%2006: 39.5%2007: 38.9%2008: 40.8%2009: 38.1%2010: 36%2011: 36.2%2012: 36.3%2013: 35.3%2014: 37.3%2015: 36.4%2016: 36.7%2017: 35.9%2018: 35.8%2019: 36.3%
Change over the period: −0.3 pp Annual average: -0.02 pp
Income share of the richest 20% — Iceland, by year Iceland All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2019 36.3 +0.5 pp
2018 35.8 −0.1 pp
2017 35.9 −0.8 pp
2016 36.7 +0.3 pp
2015 36.4 −0.9 pp
2014 37.3 +2 pp
2013 35.3 −1 pp
2012 36.3 +0.1 pp
2011 36.2 +0.2 pp
2010 36 −2.1 pp
2009 38.1 −2.7 pp
2008 40.8 +1.9 pp
2007 38.9 −0.6 pp
2006 39.5 +1 pp
2005 38.5 +0.8 pp
2004 37.7 +1.1 pp
2003 36.6

About the indicator

The share of total income or consumption that goes to the richest twenty percent of the population. Under complete equality it would be twenty percent; in the most unequal countries of Latin America and Southern Africa it comes to more than sixty. The ratio of this share to the share of the poorest quintile — the quintile ratio, S80/S20 — was historically the first measure of inequality, and it speaks more clearly than the Gini index about the gap between the poles.

Important: There are no aggregates for country groups for the same reason as with the Gini index: the quintile of a group is not a union of national quintiles. Household surveys systematically understate the incomes of the richest, so real inequality is higher than measured.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.