Iceland: Energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2021 PPP GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Iceland's energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2021 PPP GDP) fell 3.2% on 2021 (from 12.33 to 11.93).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2021), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 7.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 16.7% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.4% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.28 a year. A straight line explains 56% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2022, Iceland had the 4th highest value of the 116 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Iceland in the 2022 ranking

• Palau — 1st of 116: 13.8
• Liberia — 2nd of 116: 13.76
• New Caledonia — 3rd of 116: 13.47
• Marshall Islands — 5th of 116: 10.96
• Uganda — 6th of 116: 9.86
• Bhutan — 7th of 116: 9.04

What this measures

Energy intensity level of primary energy is the ratio between energy supply and gross domestic product measured at purchasing power parity. Energy intensity is an indication of how much energy is used to produce one unit of economic output. Lower ratio indicates that less energy is used to produce one unit of output.

Limitations: Energy intensity level is only an imperfect proxy to energy efficiency indicator and it can be affected by a number of factors not necessarily linked to pure efficiency such as climate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 23 values

Energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2021 PPP GDP) in nearby economies

• Albania — 2.06 (2022)
• Andorra — 1.81 (2022)
• Armenia — 3.91 (2021)
• Austria — 2.55 (2022)
• Azerbaijan — 4.4 (2022)
• Belarus — 6.18 (2021)
• Belgium — 3.4 (2022)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 5.53 (2022)
• Bulgaria — 4.72 (2022)

More environment data for Iceland

• Rural population — 22,689 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 5.78% (2025)
• Urban population — 369,715 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 94.22% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 54,789 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 1.01 million (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 1.06 million (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — 0.89% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 1.55% (2025)
• Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land) — 133.69 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Iceland's energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2021 PPP GDP)?

11.93 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 4.65% from 11.4 in 2000 (0.21% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 15.65 in 2011 and the lowest 9.39 in 2005.

How does Iceland rank?

4th highest of 116 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2021 PPP GDP) unusual for Iceland?

In 2022, Iceland's energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2021 PPP GDP) fell 3.2% on 2021 (from 12.33 to 11.93). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2021), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 7.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.EGY.PRIM.PP.KD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, International Energy Agency (IEA), note: License: Creative Commons Attribution—NonCommercial 3.0 IGO (CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO); International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), note: Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report; United Nations (UN), note: Tracking SD… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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