There was an increase in net worth for all family types from 2017 to 2018. Net worth for individuals increased by 15.6%, married couples without children by 13.8%, married couples with children by 19% and single parents by 25.3%. Net worth between years increased most in the age group of 25-29 years (43.9%) and in the age group of 30-34 years (33.6%).
The number of families with negative net worth in real estate continues to decrease. In 2018 there were 3,275 families with negative net worth in real estate which is 26% fewer than in 2017. On average, the negative net worth in real estate for these families was 6.6 million ISK which is an increase from 2017 when negative net worth in real estate was around 5.5 million ISK. For comparison the total property valuation in Iceland increased by 14.8% between 2017 and 2018.
Source for property valuation: Register Iceland, value is in current price.
Total net worth was 4,744 billion ISK in 2018 and increased by 15.6% from the previous year. However, the increase was less than in 2017 when it was 23% between years. The 10% with the most net worth owned around 57.5% of the total net worth, or 2,729 billion ISK.
Total assets were about 6,855 billion ISK at the end of 2018 compared with 6,065 billion ISK at the end of 2017, which is a 13% increase between years. Assets consist of real estate, vehicles, deposits and securities. The share of real estate was 75.5%, vehicles 4.6%, deposits 11.2% and securities 7.6%. These figures are similar compared with the year 2017. The first asset decile owns in total 2,955 billion ISK which is 43% of total assets and decreases by 2% from 2017.
Total debts were 2,111 billion ISK at the end of 2018, and increased by 7.6% from the previous year. Total debts of families in the highest 10th decile were around 834 billion ISK or 39.5% of total debts.
About liabilities and assets of individuals
Statistics Iceland publishes yearly data on liabilities and assets from annual tax returns. When comparing sums it should be noted that the number of taxpayers increased between the years 2017 and 2018 and that the average consumer price index has increased by 2.7%. All values are in current prices.
Family is made up of co-taxed individuals and children under the age of 16 registered at their domicile. The family type can therefore deviate significantly from family type in the National Register, as the couple need not be taxed together. Young taxpayers are registered as individuals with their own family number from the age of sixteen and are identified as independent individuals even though they still live in parents' homes. The age of a family is based on the oldest family member.