Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Iceland
Iceland: Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) was 13.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Bank capital to assets ratio in Iceland, 2014–2025
Source: Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 13.0% for bank capital to assets ratio in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 36.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank capital to assets ratio in Iceland peaked at 20.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 2025.
Iceland ranks 17th of 147 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 19.9% | — |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 17.7% | -9.1% |
| 2018 | 15.9% | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 15.4% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 15.4% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 14.7% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 13.5% | -8.6% |
| 2023 | 13.7% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 13.3% | -2.8% |
| 2025 | 13.0% | -2.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 13.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.0%, 1.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 13.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.5%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.2% | 15.4% | 20.5% | 6 |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 13.0% | 15.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 14 Uzbekistan 13.3% compare
- 15 Saint Kitts and Nevis 13.1% compare
- 16 Indonesia 13.0% compare
- 18 Panama 12.9% compare
- 19 Mozambique 12.9% compare
- 20 Antigua and Barbuda 12.8% compare
More financial sector data for Iceland
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0025 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 243.62 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 177.89 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0025 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 243.62 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank capital to assets ratio in Iceland?
- Bank capital to assets ratio in Iceland was 13.0% in 2025, according to Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest bank capital to assets ratio recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 2015.
- What is the lowest bank capital to assets ratio recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 2025.
- How does Iceland rank for bank capital to assets ratio?
- Iceland ranks 17th out of 147 countries with data for 2025.
- Is bank capital to assets ratio rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Bank capital to assets ratio (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The indicator is a measure of capital adequacy that evaluates the financial strength of deposit takers by comparing Tier 1 capital to total assets. Tier 1 capital, often referred to as core capital, includes the most stable and readily available forms of capital, such as common equity, disclosed reserves, retained earnings, and certain other instruments that meet regulatory requirements under the Basel framework. This capital is considered the highest quality because it is fully available to cover losses and does not need to be repaid.