Bank return on equity (%, before tax) in Iceland
Iceland: Bank return on equity (%, before tax) was 15.0% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Bank return on equity in Iceland, 2001–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %, before tax.
Analysis
In 2021, bank return on equity in Iceland stood at 15.0%.
The figure is up 123.4% on the previous year and up 159.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank return on equity in Iceland peaked at 27.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.8%, in 2011.
That places Iceland 60th out of 168 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Bank return on equity (%, before tax) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | %, before tax | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 13.4% | — |
| 2010 | 27.2% | +102.8% |
| 2011 | 5.8% | -78.6% |
| 2012 | 17.8% | +206.9% |
| 2013 | 17.5% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 16.0% | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 19.8% | +24.4% |
| 2016 | 13.4% | -32.6% |
| 2017 | 10.3% | -22.7% |
| 2018 | 8.3% | -20.2% |
| 2019 | 8.9% | +7.5% |
| 2020 | 6.7% | -24.1% |
| 2021 | 15.0% | +123.4% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 15.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.1%, 1.5× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 15.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.0%, 1.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank return on equity (%, before tax) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +206.9% | 5.8% | 17.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 5.8% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 6.7% | 15.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
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 return on equity in Iceland?
- Bank return on equity in Iceland was 15.0% in 2021, according to Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD).
- What is the highest bank return on equity recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 27.2% in 2010.
- What is the lowest bank return on equity recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.8% in 2011.
- How does Iceland rank for bank return on equity?
- Iceland ranks 60th out of 168 countries with data for 2021.
- Is bank return on equity rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 159.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), published as part of Bank return on equity (%, before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. Data10270[t] / ((data2055[t] + data2055[t-1])/2). Numerator and denominator are first aggregated on the country level before division. Note that banks used in the calculation might differ between indicators. Calculated from underlying bank-by-bank unconsolidated data from Bankscope.