Demographics of Iceland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The demographics of Iceland include population density, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population389,000 (2025)
Growth rate0.93% (2022 est.)
Birth rate12.96 births/1,000 population
Death rate6.56 deaths/1,000 population
Quick facts Iceland, Population ...
Demographics of Iceland
Population pyramid of Iceland in 2020
Population389,000 (2025)
Growth rate0.93% (2022 est.)
Birth rate12.96 births/1,000 population
Death rate6.56 deaths/1,000 population
Life expectancy83.64 years
 • male81.41 years
 • female85.97 years
Fertility rate1.95 children
Infant mortality rate1.65 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio
Total1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityIcelandic
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As of 2025, the Icelandic population is 389,444. In 2024, 69,691 residents (18.2%) were immigrants.[1]

About 99% of the nation's inhabitants live in localities with populations greater than 200, and 64% live in the Capital Region.

History

The population of Iceland from 1703 to 2017, using data from Statistics Iceland.

The population of Iceland probably wavered between about 30,000 and 80,000 for most of the time since settlement. Official statistics begin in 1703, since when the population has grown from 50,358 to 389,000 (August 2025).[2][3]

Migration

Settlement

Most Icelandic people are descendants of Norwegian settlers, and of Gaels from Ireland and Scotland who were brought over as slaves during the settlement of Iceland in the ninth century AD. Recent DNA analysis suggests that about 66 percent of the male settler-era population was of Norse ancestry and that the female population was 60 percent Celtic.[4][5] Iceland remained extremely homogenous from its settlement era until the twentieth century.

Emigration

Large numbers of Icelanders began to emigrate from Iceland in the 1850s. It has been estimated that 17,000 Icelanders migrated to North America in the period 1870–1914, and that 2,000 of them moved back to Iceland; this net loss, 15,000, was about 20% of the Icelandic population in 1887.[6] According to historian Gunnar Karlsson, "migration from Iceland is unique in that most went to Canada, whereas from most or all other European countries the majority went to the United States. This was partly due to the late beginning of emigration from Iceland after the Canadian authorities had begun to promote emigration in cooperation with the Allan Line, which already had an agent in Iceland in 1873. Contrary to most European countries, this promotion campaign was successful in Iceland, because emigration was only just about to start from there and Icelandic emigrants had no relatives in the United States to help them take the first steps".[6]

In the wake of the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis, many Icelanders went to work abroad.[7]

Immigration

Before the 1990s, there was little immigration to Iceland, and most of it was from other Scandinavian countries: about 1% of Icelanders in 1900 were of Danish heritage (born either in Denmark or to Danish parents).[8] In the mid-1990s, 95% of Icelanders had parents of Icelandic origin, and 2% of Icelanders were first-generation immigrants (born abroad with both parents and all grandparents foreign-born).[9][10]

Immigration to Iceland rose rapidly in the late twentieth century, encouraged by Iceland's accession to the European Economic Area in 1994, its entry into the Schengen Agreement in 2001, and the country's economic boom in the early twenty-first century. The largest ethnic minority is Poles, who are about a third of the immigrant population. In 2017, 10.6% of the people were first-generation immigrants.[10]

Iceland is also developing relatively small populations of religious minorities, including Catholics (about 15,000 in 2020, 4.02% of Icelanders),[11][12][13] Baháʼís (about 400 in 2010),[14] Jews (about 250 in 2018),[15] Buddhists (about 1,500 in 2021),[16] Muslims (about 1,300 in 2015),[17][18] and Eastern Orthodox (about 995 in 2024).[19]

Research on the experience of immigrants to Iceland is in its early days.[20][21] There is some evidence that racism is not as acute in Iceland as in neighbouring countries.[22][23][24] But, while it is popularly believed in Iceland that racism does not exist there,[25] there is evidence that in some respects immigrant populations experience prejudice and inequalities.[26] For example, Iceland has a higher dropout rate from upper secondary school among young immigrants than the EEA average.[27]

Iceland does not formally collect data on the ethnicity or racial identification of its citizens, but does collect data of the origin and background group by birth.[28]

More information Year, Pop. ...
Historical population[29]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1703 50,358—    
1750 48,241−0.09%
1800 46,176−0.09%
1850 59,586+0.51%
1860 67,754+1.29%
1870 69,463+0.25%
1880 71,981+0.36%
1890 70,581−0.20%
1900 77,967+1.00%
1910 84,528+0.81%
1920 92,855+0.94%
1930 106,360+1.37%
1940 120,264+1.24%
1950 141,042+1.61%
1960 173,855+2.11%
1970 204,042+1.61%
1980 226,948+1.07%
1990 253,785+1.12%
2000 279,049+0.95%
2010 317,630+1.30%
2020 354,042+1.09%
2024 383,726+2.03%
Source: Statistics Iceland
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Migration data

More information Year, Total Immigration ...
Net Immigration in Iceland (1961–2024) [30]
YearTotal ImmigrationTotal EmigrationTotal Net ImmigrationIcelandic Citizens ImmigrationIcelandic Citizens EmigrationIcelandic Net ImmigrationForeign Citizens ImmigrationForeign Citizens EmigrationForeign Citizens Net Immigration
19611,6181,689-711,4381,568-13018012159
19621,7281,730-21,5211,557-3620717334
19631,5241,600-761,3081,422-11421617838
19641,7531,673801,4591,480-21294193101
19651,8121,781311,4881,536-4832424579
19661,8321,7271051,4691,4591036326895
19672,1461,9921541,6331,58251513410103
19682,3582,2161421,6471,696-49711520191
19692,1982,0771211,4011,476-75797601196
19702,3262,1691571,3501,418-68976751225
19712,1362,0101261,1841,303-119952707245
19722,2131,9073061,0871,150-631,126757369
19732,7052,0876181,1631,141221,542946596
19742,8022,0077951,1441,0311131,658976682
19752,6301,8907401,1149791351,516911605
19762,7362,0287081,1711,076951,565952613
19772,6881,9717171,041963781,6471,008639
19782,5922,0805121,0221,01391,5701,067503
19792,4022,1462561,0051,012-71,3971,134263
19802,4372,368691,0301,113-831,4071,255152
19812,1952,262-679261,001-751,2691,2618
19822,2032,1445997696971,2271,17552
19832,0732,0667954974-201,1191,09227
19842,2392,124115955939161,2841,18599
19852,2422,243-1942972-301,3001,27129
19862,4012,362399991,039-401,4021,32379
19872,4252,484-599801,050-701,4451,43411
19882,7362,753-171,1051,131-261,6311,6229
19893,0662,7772891,2781,182961,7881,595193
19903,4982,9085901,4151,2291862,0831,679404
19913,0522,5664861,3051,0872181,7471,479268
19922,7692,4523171,1241,0111131,6451,441204
19933,0012,6443571,2791,1371421,7221,507215
19943,0292,6513781,2251,126991,8041,525279
19953,1542,6235311,1691,0401291,9851,583402
19963,8653,0628031,4291,1372922,4361,925511
19974,5973,4041,1931,7701,3743962,8272,030797
19984,4123,4989141,5661,3512152,8462,147699
19994,2663,4458211,4761,2452312,7902,200590
20004,0893,4336561,5741,3292452,5152,104411
20015,0024,0349682,4872,959-4722,5151,0751,440
20024,2154,490-2752,3603,380-1,0201,8551,110745
20033,7043,837-1332,3512,964-6131,353873480
20045,3484,8205282,8383,276-4382,5101,544966
20057,7733,9133,8603,0932,9751184,6809383,742
20069,8324,5775,2552,7623,042-2807,0701,5355,535
200712,5467,4145,1323,2283,395-1679,3184,0195,299
200810,2889,1441,1442,8173,294-4777,4715,8501,621
20095,77710,612-4,8352,3854,851-2,4663,3925,761-2,369
20105,6257,759-2,1342,6374,340-1,7032,9883,419-431
20119,45710,571-1,1146,1637,521-1,3583,2943,050244
20129,8699,781886,5367,380-8443,3332,401932
201311,1669,4021,7646,7786,746324,3882,6561,732
201410,9399,8921,0476,1136,912-7994,8262,9801,846
201511,62910,5261,1036,0777,194-1,1175,5523,3322,220
201615,36810,5744,7946,7656,5432228,6034,0314,572
201719,04511,1407,9056,5565,97757912,4895,1637,326
201818,53813,2075,3316,0626,127-6512,4767,0805,396
201916,52914,0652,4645,8006,146-34610,7297,9192,810
202015,24913,1702,0796,3015,3899128,9487,7811,167
202115,41611,2884,1285,4264,6797479,9906,6093,381
202222,20913,5498,6605,2205,746-52616,9897,8039,186
202321,56014,7716,7894,9395,154-21516,6219,6177,004
202419,78915,7454,0444,9935,132-13914,79610,6134,183
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More information Background Groups, Year ...
Background Groups Year
1996[31] 2001[31] 2006[31] 2011[31] 2016[31] 2025[31]
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Icelanders 260,054 97.10% 270,106 95.32% 278,975 93.02% 286,606 89.99% 292,326 87.90% 302,425 77.66%
Icelanders of two Icelandic parents 251,057 93.74% 259,109 91.44% 265,711 88.60% 270,771 85.02% 274,115 82.43% 279,308 71.72%
Born abroad, Icelandic background 3,490 1.30% 4,214 1.48% 4,880 1.62% 5,449 1.71% 5,971 1.79% 6,810 1.75%
Born in Iceland, one parent born abroad 5,507 2.05% 6,783 2.39% 8,384 2.79% 10,386 3.26% 12,240 3.68% 16,307 4.19%
Foreign 7,755 2.90% 13,255 4.67% 20,916 6.97% 31,846 10% 40,203 12.09% 87,019 22.34%
Immigrants 5,357 2.00% 10,073 3.55% 16,690 5.56% 25,697 8.06% 31,819 9.56% 73,795 18.95%
Descendants of Immigrants 345 0.12% 543 0.19% 1,116 0.37% 2,586 0.81% 4,152 1.24% 7,839 2.01%
Born abroad, one Icelandic parent 2,053 0.76% 2,639 0.93% 3,110 1.03% 3,563 1.11% 4,232 1.27% 5,385 1.38%
Total 267,809 100% 283,361 100% 299,891 100% 318,452 100% 332,529 100% 389,444 100%
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More information Country ...
Foreign-born communities of over 300[32]
Country2010 2015 2020 2021 2024
Poland10,088 10,967 20,515 20,558 22,431
Denmark3,236 3,283 3,644 3,701 3,792
Ukraine210 274 430 457 3,704
Lithuania1,442 1,499 3,299 3,292 3,579
Romania205 400 1,995 2,117 2,992
United States1,849 2,019 2,516 2,680 2,752
Philippines1,407 1,565 2,223 2,276 2,631
Sweden1,846 1,920 2,173 2,245 2,419
Latvia641 735 1,965 2,087 2,229
Germany1,697 1,649 2,065 2,180 2,065
United Kingdom1,095 1,307 1,836 1,960 1,733
Vietnam479 613 885 988 1,602
Thailand1,062 1,196 1,428 1,465 1,512
Norway987 1,036 1,273 1,305 1,381
Venezuela 36 39 229 391 1,371
Spain288 540 1,076 1,161 1,345
Portugal607 576 1,131 1,034 1,300
Czech Republic152 246 851 792 943
France444 538 913 966 878
Croatia148 169 828 825 864
Syria 19 35 331 402 771
Italy218 260 556 607 770
India272 305 387 439 746
China481 582 709 729 740
Hungary154 218 506 550 732
Russia294 364 502 515 634
Serbia312 307 516 528 606
Greece 25 45 228 260 567
Slovakia234 243 511 463 556
Moldova 13 21 173 227 522
Bulgaria135 240 550 551 491
Iraq 48 57 279 400 467
Netherlands297 288 401 431 432
Canada231 277 328 331 351
Bosnia and Herzegovina 144 150 277 272 277
Other7,066 7,489 8,561 9,014 11,610
Total immigrant population35,121 39,221 66,767 68,938 81,795
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    Due to a shortage of labor,[33] immigration to Iceland will most likely increase in the future.[34] As of 2024, immigrants made up over 18% of Iceland's total population.[35]

    Patronymy

    See also: Icelandic naming conventions

    Most Icelandic names are based on patronymy, and consist of the given name(s) followed by the father's first given name (in the genitive case), followed by "son" or "daughter". For example, Magnús and Anna, children of a man named Pétur Jónsson, would have the full names Magnús Pétursson and Anna Pétursdóttir, respectively. Magnús's daughter Sigríður Ásta would be Sigríður Ásta Magnúsdóttir, and would remain so for the rest of her life regardless of marriage. An Icelandic patronymic is essentially only a designation of fatherhood, and is therefore redundant in Icelandic social life except to differentiate people of the same first name – the phone directory, for example, lists people by their given name first, patronymic second. Thus it has little in common with surnames in other countries except for its position after the given name. It is legally possible in Iceland to use a matronymic instead of a patronymic, using the mother's name instead of the father's. Use of the patronymic system is required by law, except for descendants of those who acquired family names before 1913 (about 10% of the population). One notable Icelander with an inherited family name is football star Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen.

    Urbanisation

    See also: Iceland § Urbanisation

    According to University of Iceland economists Davíd F. Björnsson and Gylfi Zoega, "The policies of the colonial masters in Copenhagen delayed urbanisation. The Danish king maintained a monopoly in trade with Iceland from 1602 until 1855, which made the price of fish artificially low – the price of fish was higher in Britain – and artificially raised the price of agricultural products. Instead, Denmark bought the fish caught from Iceland at below world market prices. Although the trade monopoly ended in 1787, Icelanders could not trade freely with other countries until 1855. Following trade liberalisation, there was a substantial increase in fish exports to Britain, which led to an increase in the number of sailing ships used in fishing, introduced for the first time in 1780. The growth of the fishing industry then created demand for capital, and in 1885 Parliament created the first state bank (Landsbanki). In 1905 came the first motorised fishing vessel, which marked an important step in the development of a specialised fishing industry in Iceland. Iceland exported fresh fish to Britain and salted cod to southern Europe, with Portugal an important export market. Fishing replaced agriculture as the country’s main industry. These developments set the stage for the urbanisation that was to follow in the twentieth century."[36]

    A 2017 study looking at individuals going to the capital area for higher education found that "Only about one in three University of Iceland students from regions beyond commuting distance return after graduation, while about half remain in the capital area and others mostly emigrate."[37] Iceland's 10 most populous urban areas:

    More information Largest cities or towns in Icelandstatice.is, Rank ...
     
     
    Largest cities or towns in Iceland
    Rank Name Region Pop.
    1ReykjavíkCapital Region138,722
    2KópavogurCapital Region36,975
    3HafnarfjörðurCapital Region29,799
    4ReykjanesbærSouthern Peninsula18,920
    5AkureyriNortheastern Region18,925
    6GarðabærCapital Region16,299
    7MosfellsbærCapital Region11,463
    8ÁrborgSouthern Region9,485
    9AkranesWestern Region7,411
    10FjarðabyggðEastern Region5,070
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    Religion

    In 2016, 71.6% of the population belonged to the state church (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland), approximately 5% in free churches, 3.7% to the Roman Catholic Church, approximately 1% to the Ásatrúarfélagið (a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland), approximately 1% to Zuism, 8% in unrecognized or unspecified religious groups, and 9% do not belong to any religious group.[38]

    Icelandic National Registry

    Main article: Kennitala

    All living Icelanders, as well as all foreign citizens with permanent residence in Iceland, have a personal identification number (kennitala) identifying them in the National Registry. This number is composed of 10 digits, whereof the first six are made up of the individual's birth date in the format DDMMYY. The next two digits are chosen at random when the kennitala is allocated, the 9th digit is a check digit, and the last digit indicates the period of one hundred years in which the individual was born (for instance, '9' for the period 1900–1999). An example would be 120192-3389. While similar, all-inclusive personal registries exist in other countries, the use of the national registry is unusually extensive in Iceland. It is worth noting that the completeness of the National Registry eliminates any need for census to be performed.

    Summary of vital statistics since 1900

    Data according to Statistics Iceland, which collects the official statistics for Iceland.[39][40][41][42]

    More information Year, Average population ...
    Year Average
    population    		 Live births Deaths Natural
    change    		 Crude
    birth rate (per 1000)    		 Crude
    death rate (per 1000)    		 Natural
    change (per 1000)    		 Total
    fertility
    rate    		 Tempo
    adjusted
    fertility
    rate
    1900 78,100 2,237 1,545 692 28.6 19.8 8.9 3.93
    1901 78,400 2,179 1,155 1,024 27.8 14.7 13.1 3.86
    1902 78,900 2,220 1,262 958 27.9 16.0 12.1 3.95
    1903 79,400 2,244 1,324 920 28.3 16.7 11.6 4.00
    1904 80,000 2,293 1,242 1,051 28.7 15.5 13.2 4.09
    1905 80,700 2,271 1,435 836 28.1 17.8 10.4 4.02
    1906 81,600 2,346 1,193 1,153 28.8 14.6 14.1 4.14
    1907 82,500 2,304 1,396 908 27.9 16.9 11.0 4.04
    1908 83,300 2,270 1,594 676 27.3 19.1 8.1 4.01
    1909 84,100 2,283 1,263 1,020 27.1 15.0 12.1 4.00
    1910 84,900 2,171 1,304 867 25.6 15.4 10.2 3.79
    1911 85,400 2,205 1,152 1,053 25.8 13.5 12.3 3.80
    1912 85,900 2,234 1,171 1,063 26.0 13.6 12.4 3.82
    1913 86,600 2,216 1,060 1,156 25.6 12.2 13.3 3.76
    1914 87,600 2,338 1,428 910 26.7 16.3 10.4 3.90
    1915 88,600 2,446 1,376 1,070 27.6 15.5 12.1 4.00
    1916 89,000 2,377 1,322 1,055 26.6 14.8 11.8 3.81
    1917 91,000 2,427 1,111 1,316 26.8 12.3 14.5 3.82
    1918 92,000 2,441 1,518 923 26.6 16.6 10.1 3.78
    1919 92,000 2,342 1,169 1,173 25.4 12.7 12.7 3.62
    1920 94,000 2,627 1,360 1,267 28.1 14.5 13.6 3.96
    1921 95,000 2,601 1,478 1,123 27.4 15.6 11.8 3.87
    1922 96,000 2,546 1,280 1,266 26.6 13.4 13.2 3.72
    1923 97,000 2,612 1,287 1,325 26.9 13.3 13.7 3.77
    1924 98,000 2,525 1,462 1,063 25.7 14.9 10.8 3.62
    1925 99,000 2,554 1,229 1,325 25.7 12.4 13.3 3.59
    1926 101,000 2,676 1,121 1,555 26.5 11.1 15.4 3.71
    1927 103,000 2,642 1,282 1,360 25.8 12.5 13.3 3.59
    1928 104,000 2,542 1,124 1,418 24.4 10.8 13.6 3.40
    1929 106,000 2,644 1,237 1,407 25.0 11.7 13.3 3.47
    1930 107,000 2,808 1,248 1,560 26.1 11.6 14.5 3.59
    1931 109,000 2,804 1,277 1,527 25.7 11.7 14.0 3.53
    1932 111,000 2,696 1,191 1,505 24.4 10.8 13.6 3.31
    1933 112,000 2,531 1,159 1,372 22.5 10.3 12.2 3.07
    1934 114,000 2,597 1,181 1,416 22.8 10.4 12.4 3.10
    1935 115,000 2,551 1,402 1,149 22.1 12.2 10.0 2.99
    1936 116,000 2,557 1,253 1,304 22.0 10.8 11.2 2.98
    1937 117,000 2,397 1,317 1,080 20.4 11.2 9.2 2.78
    1938 118,000 2,374 1,207 1,167 20.1 10.2 9.9 2.71
    1939 120,000 2,363 1,160 1,203 19.8 9.7 10.1 2.68
    1940 121,000 2,480 1,200 1,280 20.5 9.9 10.6 2.75
    1941 122,000 2,634 1,352 1,282 21.6 11.1 10.5 2.91
    1942 123,000 3,005 1,293 1,712 24.4 10.5 13.9 3.26
    1943 125,000 3,173 1,268 1,905 25.4 10.1 15.2 3.36
    1944 127,000 3,213 1,218 1,995 25.3 9.6 15.7 3.34
    1945 129,000 3,434 1,179 2,255 26.6 9.1 17.5 3.55
    1946 132,000 3,434 1,121 2,313 26.1 8.5 17.6 3.47
    1947 134,000 3,706 1,162 2,544 27.6 8.6 18.9 3.67
    1948 137,000 3,821 1,114 2,707 27.8 8.1 19.7 3.72
    1949 140,000 3,884 1,106 2,778 27.8 7.9 19.9 3.73
    1950 143,000 4,093 1,122 2,971 28.7 7.9 20.8 3.86
    1951 145,000 3,999 1,145 2,854 27.5 7.9 19.6 3.72
    1952 148,000 4,075 1,082 2,993 27.5 7.3 20.2 3.79
    1953 151,000 4,254 1,118 3,136 28.1 7.4 20.7 3.94
    1954 154,000 4,281 1,064 3,217 27.7 6.9 20.8 3.91
    1955 158,000 4,505 1,099 3,406 28.5 7.0 21.5 4.07
    1956 161,000 4,603 1,153 3,450 28.5 7.2 21.3 4.14
    1957 165,000 4,725 1,157 3,568 28.6 7.0 21.6 4.20
    1958 168,000 4,641 1,165 3,476 27.5 6.9 20.6 4.09
    1959 172,000 4,837 1,242 3,595 28.1 7.2 20.9 4.24
    1960 176,000 4,916 1,167 3,749 28.0 6.6 21.4 4.27
    1961 179,000 4,563 1,248 3,315 25.5 7.0 18.5 3.88
    1962 182,000 4,711 1,237 3,474 25.9 6.8 19.1 3.98
    1963 186,000 4,820 1,327 3,493 26.0 7.1 18.9 3.98
    1964 189,000 4,787 1,315 3,472 25.3 7.0 18.3 3.86
    1965 192,000 4,721 1,291 3,430 24.6 6.7 17.9 3.71
    1966 196,000 4,692 1,391 3,301 24.0 7.1 16.9 3.58
    1967 199,000 4,404 1,385 3,019 22.2 7.0 15.2 3.28
    1968 201,000 4,227 1,390 2,837 21.0 6.9 14.1 3.07
    1969 203,000 4,218 1,451 2,767 20.8 7.1 13.7 2.99
    1970 204,000 4,023 1,457 2,566 19.7 7.1 12.6 2.81
    1971 206,000 4,277 1,501 2,776 20.8 7.3 13.5 2.92
    1972 209,000 4,676 1,447 3,229 22.3 6.9 15.4 3.09
    1973 212,000 4,598 1,475 3,123 21.7 6.9 14.8 2.95
    1974 215,000 4,276 1,495 2,781 19.9 6.9 13.0 2.66
    1975 218,000 4,384 1,412 2,972 20.1 6.5 13.6 2.65
    1976 220,000 4,291 1,343 2,948 19.5 6.1 13.4 2.52
    1977 222,000 3,996 1,435 2,561 18.0 6.5 11.5 2.31
    1978 224,000 4,162 1,421 2,741 18.6 6.4 12.2 2.35
    1979 226,000 4,475 1,482 2,993 19.8 6.6 13.2 2.49
    1980 228,000 4,528 1,538 2,990 19.8 6.7 13.1 2.48
    1981 231,000 4,345 1,656 2,689 18.8 7.2 11.6 2.33
    1982 234,000 4,337 1,583 2,754 18.5 6.8 11.7 2.26
    1983 237,000 4,371 1,653 2,718 18.4 7.0 11.4 2.24
    1984 240,000 4,113 1,584 2,529 17.2 6.6 10.6 2.08
    1985 241,000 3,856 1,652 2,204 16.0 6.8 9.2 1.93
    1986 243,000 3,881 1,598 2,283 16.0 6.6 9.4 1.93
    1987 246,000 4,193 1,724 2,469 17.0 7.0 10.0 2.07
    1988 250,000 4,673 1,818 2,855 18.7 7.3 11.4 2.27
    1989 253,000 4,560 1,716 2,844 18.0 6.8 11.2 2.20
    1990 255,000 4,768 1,704 3,064 18.7 6.7 12.0 2.31
    1991 258,000 4,533 1,796 2,737 17.6 7.0 10.6 2.19
    1992 261,000 4,609 1,719 2,890 17.7 6.6 11.1 2.21
    1993 264,000 4,623 1,753 2,870 17.5 6.6 10.9 2.22
    1994 266,000 4,442 1,717 2,725 16.7 6.4 10.3 2.14
    1995 267,000 4,280 1,923 2,357 16.0 7.2 8.8 2.08
    1996 269,000 4,329 1,879 2,450 16.1 7.0 9.1 2.12
    1997 271,000 4,151 1,843 2,308 15.3 6.8 8.5 2.04
    1998 274,000 4,178 1,821 2,357 15.3 6.7 8.6 2.05
    1999 277,000 4,100 1,901 2,199 14.9 6.9 8.0 1.99
    2000 281,000 4,315 1,828 2,487 15.5 6.5 9.0 2.08
    2001 285,000 4,091 1,725 2,366 14.4 6.1 8.3 1.95
    2002 288,000 4,049 1,822 2,227 14.1 6.3 7.8 1.93
    2003 290,000 4,143 1,826 2,317 14.3 6.3 8.0 1.99
    2004 292,000 4,234 1,824 2,410 14.5 6.2 8.3 2.03
    2005 297,000 4,280 1,837 2,443 14.4 6.2 8.2 2.05
    2006 304,000 4,415 1,903 2,512 14.7 6.3 8.4 2.07
    2007 308,000 4,560 1,943 2,617 14.9 6.3 8.6 2.09
    2008 315,000 4,835 1,987 2,848 15.4 6.2 9.2 2.14
    2009 318,000 5,026 2,002 3,024 15.8 6.3 9.5 2.22
    2010 315,000 4,907 2,020 2,887 15.6 6.4 9.2 2.20 2.38
    2011 312,000 4,492 1,986 2,506 14.4 6.4 8.0 2.02 2.24
    2012 314,000 4,533 1,955 2,578 14.4 6.2 8.2 2.04 2.49
    2013 318,000 4,326 2,154 2,172 13.6 6.8 6.8 1.93 2.21
    2014 321,000 4,375 2,049 2,326 13.6 6.4 7.2 1.93 2.02
    2015 324,500 4,129 2,178 1,951 12.7 6.7 6.0 1.81 2.16
    2016 329,300 4,034 2,309 1,725 12.2 7.0 5.2 1.75 2.21
    2017 337,300 4,071 2,239 1,832 12.1 6.6 5.4 1.71 2.17
    2018 345,800 4,228 2,257 1,971 12.2 6.5 5.7 1.71 2.53
    2019 351,800 4,452 2,277 2,175 12.7 6.5 6.2 1.74 2.11
    2020 356,200 4,512 2,308 2,204 12.7 6.5 6.2 1.72 1.57
    2021 361,600 4,879 2,338 2,541 13.5 6.5 7.0 1.82 1.89
    2022 370,100 4,382 2,693 1,698 11.8 7.3 4.6 1.67 1.91
    2023 379,500 4,315 2,571 1,744 11.4 6.8 4.6 1.59
    2024 389,500 4,311 2,620 1,691 11.1 6.8 4.3 1.56
    2025 394,530 4,370 2,650 1,720 11.1 6.8 4.3
    Close
    thousandsyear010020030040017001750180018501900195020002050populationIceland Population
    View source data.
    ‰year369121518212419001920194019601980200020202040natural growthIceland Natural Growth
    View source data.

    [43]

    TFRyear1.522.533.544.519001920194019601980200020202040Total Fertility RateTotal Fertility Rate
    View source data.

    Current vital statistics

    More information Period, Live births ...
    Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
    January—September 2024 3,230 1,970 +1,260
    January—September 2025 3,290 1,960 +1,330
    Difference Increase +60 (+1.86%) Positive decrease -10 (-0.51%) Increase +70
    Source:[44]
    Close

    Structure of the population

    Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.I.2020): [45]
    More information Age Group, Male ...
    Age Group Male Female Total %
    Total 186 941 177 193 364 134 100
    0–4 11 029 10 333 21 362 5.87
    5–9 11 831 11 396 23 227 6.38
    10–14 12 186 11 444 23 630 6.49
    15–19 11 289 10 954 22 243 6.11
    20–24 13 251 12 519 25 770 7.08
    25–29 16 328 14 239 30 567 8.39
    30–34 14 816 12 572 27 388 7.52
    35–39 13 992 12 081 26 073 7.16
    40–44 12 557 11 454 24 011 6.59
    45–49 12 007 10 958 22 965 6.31
    50–54 11 232 10 795 22 027 6.05
    55–59 10 985 10 980 21 965 6.03
    60–64 10 288 10 145 20 433 5.61
    65-69 8 550 8 431 16 981 4.66
    70-74 6 821 6 796 13 617 3.74
    75-79 4 402 4 871 9 273 2.55
    80-84 2 866 3 272 6 138 1.69
    85-89 1 724 2 430 4 154 1.14
    90-94 667 1 199 1 866 0.51
    95-99 109 285 394 0.11
    100+ 11 39 50 0.01
    Age group Male Female Total Percent
    0–14 35 046 33 173 68 219 18.73
    15–64 126 745 116 697 243 442 66.86
    65+ 25 150 27 323 52 473 14.41
    Close

    Population projection

    More information Year, Low ...
    Population projection
    (1 January)[46]
    Year Low Medium High
    2025 388,325 391,092 394,114
    2026 395,362 399,559 404,183
    2027 402,285 407,998 414,271
    2028 409,095 416,366 424,367
    2029 415,807 424,692 434,490
    2030 422,420 432,977 444,675
    2035 452,799 472,516 494,932
    2040 478,091 508,125 543,572
    2045 496,851 537,749 588,698
    2050 509,107 561,114 629,815
    2055 515,920 578,855 667,611
    2060 517,967 591,498 702,683
    2065 516,868 600,839 736,711
    2070 511,417 605,250 767,775
    2074 503,633 604,833 790,071
    Close

    Life expectancy

    Life expectancy in Iceland since 1838
    Life expectancy in Iceland since 1960 by sex
    More information Period, Life expectancy in Years ...
    Period Life expectancy in
    Years    		 Period Life expectancy in
    Years
    1950–1955 72.2 1985–1990 77.6
    1955–1960 73.2 1990–1995 78.5
    1960–1965 73.5 1995–2000 79.1
    1965–1970 73.7 2000–2005 80.7
    1970–1975 74.2 2005–2010 81.4
    1975–1980 76.3 2010–2015 82.2
    1980–1985 76.9
    Close

    Source: UN World Population Prospects[47]

    CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

    The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[48]

    Age structure

    0–14 years: 19.8% (male 36,692/female 35,239)
    15–64 years: 63.2% (male 116,210/female 113,810)
    65 years and over: 17.1% (male 29,366/female 32,719) (2024 est.)

    Sex ratio

    at birth: 1.05 males: 1 female
    under 15 years: 1.04 males: 1 female

    15–64 years: 1.02 males: 1 female
    65 years and over: 0.9 males: 1 female
    total population: 1 male: 1 female (2024 est.)

    Maternal mortality rate

    3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

    Infant mortality rate

    1.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

    Life expectancy at birth

    total population: 84 years
    male: 81.8 years
    female: 86.3 years (2024 est.)

    Health expenditures

    9.6% of GDP (2020)

    Physicians density

    4.14 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

    Obesity – adult prevalence rate

    21.9% (2016)

    Education expenditures

    7.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

    Mother's mean age at first birth

    28.7 (2020 est.)

    Nationality

    noun: Icelander(s)
    adjective: Icelandic

    Ethnic groups

    78.7% Icelandic, 5.8% Polish, 1% Danish, 1% Ukrainian, 13.5% other (2024 est.)

    Religions

    Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 58.6%, Roman Catholic 3.8%, Independent Congregation of Reykjavik 2.6%, Independent Congregation of Hafnarfjordur 1.9%, Pagan Worship 1.5%, Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association 1.4%, other or unspecified 18.7%, none 7.7% (2024 est.)

    Languages

    Icelandic (English and a second Nordic language, Danish by default, are also a part of the Icelandic compulsory education).

    References

    External links

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