Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%) in Iceland
Iceland: Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%) was 15.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in Iceland, 1980–2020
Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Iceland is 15.3%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 31.5% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Iceland peaked at 25.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 1980.
That places Iceland 35th out of 116 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.3% | — |
| 1981 | 7.4% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 8.8% | +18.6% |
| 1983 | 12.4% | +41.9% |
| 1984 | 10.7% | -13.8% |
| 1985 | 14.1% | +31.9% |
| 1986 | 12.1% | -14.7% |
| 1987 | 10.6% | -12.4% |
| 1988 | 9.0% | -15.2% |
| 1989 | 12.2% | +36.6% |
| 1990 | 10.8% | -11.7% |
| 1991 | 10.0% | -7.5% |
| 1992 | 10.7% | +7.2% |
| 1993 | 17.1% | +59.2% |
| 1994 | 21.6% | +26.5% |
| 1995 | 22.3% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 22.5% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 19.4% | -13.5% |
| 1998 | 16.4% | -15.4% |
| 1999 | 15.2% | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 16.0% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 21.0% | +31.5% |
| 2002 | 22.4% | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | -14.9% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | -15.4% |
| 2005 | 8.5% | -47.3% |
| 2006 | 14.7% | +72.9% |
| 2007 | 11.7% | -20.0% |
| 2008 | 12.1% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 15.6% | +28.4% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +14.5% |
| 2011 | 20.3% | +13.8% |
| 2012 | 25.6% | +26.2% |
| 2013 | 23.6% | -7.9% |
| 2014 | 24.9% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 18.9% | -24.2% |
| 2016 | 10.6% | -43.5% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | +9.7% |
| 2018 | 9.3% | -20.6% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | +25.9% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | +31.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 15.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.7%, 1.8× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 15.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.8%, 2.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.5% | 7.3% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 10.0% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 8.5% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.4% | 9.3% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 15.3% | 15.3% | 1 |
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 outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Iceland?
- Outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in Iceland was 15.3% in 2020, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
- What is the highest outstanding international public debt securities to gdp recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest outstanding international public debt securities to gdp recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 1980.
- How does Iceland rank for outstanding international public debt securities to gdp?
- Iceland ranks 35th out of 116 countries with data for 2020.
- Is outstanding international public debt securities to gdp rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Bank for International Settlements (BIS), published as part of Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Amount of public international debt securities (amounts outstanding), as a share of GDP. It covers long-term bonds and notes and money market instruments placed on international markets. Table 12D (international debt amount): governments / GDP. End of year data (i.e. December data) are considered for debt securities. The figures are deflated using the following methodology: {(0.5)*[Ft/P_et + Ft-1/P_et-1]}/[GDPt/P_at] where F is the level international public debt, P_e is end-of period CPI, and P_a is average annual CPI. GDP is from World Development Indicators. End-of period CPI is taken from IFS line 64M..ZF month of December (or if not available Q4). Average annual CPI is constructed from the monthly CPI figure taken from IFS line 64..ZF.