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Demographics of Iceland

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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 mortality1.65 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Immigrant share25.1% (2024)[1]
Sex ratio
Total1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityIcelandic

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

As of 2025, the Icelandic population is 389,444. In 2024, 69,691 residents (18.2%) were immigrants.[2]

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

History

[edit]
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).[3][4]

Migration

[edit]

Settlement

[edit]

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.[5][6] Iceland remained extremely homogenous from its settlement era until the twentieth century.

Emigration

[edit]

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.[7] 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".[7]

In the wake of the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis, many Icelanders went to work abroad.[8]

Immigration

[edit]

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).[9] 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).[10][11]

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.[11]

Iceland is also developing relatively small populations of religious minorities, including Catholics (about 15,000 in 2020, 4.02% of Icelanders),[12][13][14] Baháʼís (about 400 in 2010),[15] Jews (about 250 in 2018),[16] Buddhists (about 1,500 in 2021),[17] Muslims (about 1,300 in 2015),[18][19] and Eastern Orthodox (about 995 in 2024).[20]

Research on the experience of immigrants to Iceland is in its early days.[21][22] There is some evidence that racism is not as acute in Iceland as in other European countries.[23][24][25] But, while it is popularly believed in Iceland that racism does not exist there,[26] there is evidence that in some respects immigrant populations experience prejudice and inequalities.[27] For example, Iceland has a higher dropout rate from upper secondary school among young immigrants than the EEA average.[28]

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.[29]

Historical population[30]
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

Migration data

[edit]
Net Immigration in Iceland (1961–2024) [31]
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
202518,67415,5083,1664,6014,947-34614,07310,5613,512
Background Groups Year
1996[32] 2001[32] 2006[32] 2011[32] 2016[32] 2025[32]
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%
Foreign-born communities of over 300[33]
Country 2010 2015 2020 2021 2024 2026
Poland 10,088 10,967 20,515 20,558 22,431 23,090
Ukraine 210 274 430 457 3,704 4,758
Lithuania 1,442 1,499 3,299 3,292 3,579 3,820
Denmark 3,236 3,283 3,644 3,701 3,792 3,813
Romania 205 400 1,995 2,117 2,992 3,388
Philippines 1,407 1,565 2,223 2,276 2,631 3,064
United States 1,849 2,019 2,516 2,680 2,752 2,903
Sweden 1,846 1,920 2,173 2,245 2,419 2,525
Latvia 641 735 1,965 2,087 2,229 2,483
Germany 1,697 1,649 2,065 2,180 2,065 2,095
Venezuela 36 39 229 391 1,371 1,973
Vietnam 479 613 885 988 1,602 1,876
United Kingdom 1,095 1,307 1,836 1,960 1,733 1,808
Thailand 1,062 1,196 1,428 1,465 1,512 1,565
Spain 288 540 1,076 1,161 1,345 1,548
Portugal 607 576 1,131 1,034 1,300 1,438
Norway 987 1,036 1,273 1,305 1,381 1,429
Czech Republic 152 246 851 792 943 1,204
Syria 19 35 331 402 771 923
France 444 538 913 966 878 888
Italy 218 260 556 607 770 866
Croatia 148 169 828 825 864 846
Greece 25 45 228 260 567 836
Palestine 0 6 42 74 492 826
India 272 305 387 439 746 788
Hungary 154 218 506 550 732 777
China 481 582 709 729 740 761
Moldova 13 21 173 227 522 707
Russia 294 364 502 515 634 649
Serbia 312 307 516 528 606 629
Slovakia 234 243 511 463 556 625
Nigeria 58 65 164 193 311 501
Bulgaria 135 240 550 551 491 490
Iraq 48 57 279 400 467 486
Netherlands 297 288 401 431 432 458
Afghanistan 6 11 141 178 367 453
Ghana 44 56 152 173 307 408
Brazil 104 128 211 241 352 405
Iran 35 58 184 223 332 402
Colombia 154 179 247 262 333 375
Canada 231 277 328 331 351 366
Pakistan 26 32 91 104 182 353
Morocco 152 161 246 267 314 331
Bosnia and Herzegovina 144 150 277 272 277 268
Other 7,066 7,489 8,561 9,014 11,610 9,332
Total immigrant population 35,121 39,221 66,767 68,938 81,795 89,259

    Patronymy

    [edit]

    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

    [edit]

    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."[34]

    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."[35] Iceland's 10 most populous urban areas:

    Religion

    [edit]

    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.[36]

    As of 2026, 1.5% of the population belongs to a pagan worship religious or life stance organization. [37]

    Icelandic National Registry

    [edit]

    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

    [edit]

    Data according to Statistics Iceland, which collects the official statistics for Iceland.[38][39][40][41]

    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 4,387 2,650 1,737 11.1 6.8 4.3 1.56
    thousandsyear010020030040017001750180018501900195020002050populationIceland Population
    View source data.
    ‰year369121518212419001920194019601980200020202040natural growthIceland Natural Growth
    View source data.

    [42]

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

    Current vital statistics

    [edit]
    Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
    January—March 2025 1,050 710 +340
    January—March 2026 1,110 640 +470
    Difference Increase +60 (+5.71%) Positive decrease –70 (-9.86%) Increase +130
    Source:[43]

    Structure of the population

    [edit]
    Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.I.2020): [44]
    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

    Population projection

    [edit]
    Population projection
    (1 January)[45]
    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

    Life expectancy

    [edit]
    Life expectancy in Iceland since 1838
    Life expectancy in Iceland since 1960 by sex
    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

    Source: UN World Population Prospects[46]

    CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

    [edit]

    The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[47]

    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

    [edit]
    1. ↑ "International Migrant Stock". United Nations Population Division. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
    2. ↑ "Population by origin, sex and age 1996-2024". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
    3. ↑ "Population – key figures 1703–2017". Px.hagstofa.is. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
    4. ↑ "Íbúar landsins | Þjóðskrá". www.skra.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 2025-07-08. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
    5. ↑ Agnar Helgason; Eileen Hickey; Sara Goodacre; Vidar Bosnes; Kári Stefánsson; Ryk Ward; Bryan Sykes (2001). "mtDNA and the Islands of the North Atlantic: Estimating the Proportions of Norse and Gaelic Ancestry". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 68 (3): 723–737. doi:10.1086/318785. PMC 1274484. PMID 11179019.
    6. ↑ Agnar Helgason; Sigrún Sigurðardóttir; Jeffrey R. Gulcher; Ryk Ward; Kári Stefánsson (2000). "mtDNA and the Origin of the Icelanders: Deciphering Signals of Recent Population History". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 66 (3): 999–1016. Bibcode:2000AmJHG..66..999H. doi:10.1086/302816. PMC 1288180. PMID 10712214.
    7. 1 2 Karlsson, Gunnar (2000). History of Iceland. p. 236.
    8. ↑ Guðbjört Guðjónsdóttir. “ ‘We Blend in with the Crowd but They Don’t’: (In)visibility and Icelandic Migrants in Norway.” Nordic Journal of Migration Research 4 (2014): 176–183.
    9. ↑ Karlsson, Gunnar (2000). History of Iceland. p. 234.
    10. ↑ Kristín Loftsdóttir, “Being ‘the Damned Foreigner’: Affective National Sentiments and Racialization of Lithuanians in Iceland.” Nordic Journal of Migration Research 7.2 (2017): 70–77 (p. 72) doi:10.1515/njmr-2017-0012.
    11. 1 2 'Immigrants and persons with foreign background 2017' (16 June 2017).
    12. ↑ "Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998-2017". Statistics Iceland. Archived from the original on 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
    13. ↑ "Statistics Iceland". Statistics Iceland.
    14. ↑ "From Iceland — Catholic Congregation in Iceland Growing Rapidly". Grapevine.is. 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
    15. ↑ Demographic data as published by Statistics Iceland, found online for the period of 1990 and later Hagtíðindi for the years 1973-1989 Archived 2009-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
    16. ↑ Jónsson, Stefán Ó. (12 February 2018). "Fyrsti íslenski rabbíninn mun beita sér gegn umskurðarbanninu". www.visir.is.
    17. ↑ "Populations by religious and life stance organizations". Statistics Iceland. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
    18. ↑ "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
    19. ↑ "Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998-2018". PX-Web. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
    20. ↑ "Statistics Iceland: Religious organisations". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
    21. ↑ Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Collisions and Continuities: Ten Immigrant Families and Their Children in Icelandic Society and Schools. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2008.
    22. ↑ Skaptadóttir, UD 2004, ‘Mobilities and cultural difference: immigrant’s experiences in Iceland’ in Topographies of globalization: politics, culture, language, eds V Ingimundarson, K Loftsdóttir & I Erlingsdóttir, The University of Iceland Press, Reykjavík pp. 133-149.
    23. ↑ Rannveig Thorisdottir, “Armed with a Pen.” In Black Light, White Shadows: Young People in the Nordic Countries Write about Racism. Edited by Leena Suurpää, 85–97. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, 1998.
    24. ↑ Kristín Loftsdóttir, “ ‘Still a Lot of Staring and Curiosity’: Racism and the Racialization of African Immigrants in Iceland.” In New Dimensions of Diversity in Nordic Culture and Society. Edited by Jenny Björklund, Ursula Lindqvist, 263–78. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016.
    25. ↑ Gunnar J. Gunnarsson, Gunnar E. Finnbogason, Hanna Ragnarsdóttir and Halla Jónsdóttir. “Friendship, Diversity and Fear: Young People’s Life Views and Life Values in a Multicultural Society.” Nordidactica: Journal of Humanities and Social Science Education (2015 part 2): 94–113.
    26. ↑ Kristín Loftsdóttir, “The Country without Racism: Multiculturalism and Colonial Identity Formations in Iceland.” Social Identities 17 (2011): 11–25.
    27. ↑ Kristín Loftsdóttir, “Being ‘the Damned Foreigner’: Affective National Sentiments and Racialization of Lithuanians in Iceland.” Nordic Journal of Migration Research 7.2 (2017): 70–77 doi:10.1515/njmr-2017-0012.
    28. ↑ Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, “Competences for Active Communication and Participation in Diverse Societies: Views of Young People in Iceland.” In Intercultural Competence in Education: Alternative Approaches for Different Times. Edited by Fred Dervin and Zehavit Gross, 73–93. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. p. 75.
    29. ↑ Shendruk, Amanda (2021-07-08). "Are you even trying to stop racism if you don't collect data on race?". Quartz. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
    30. ↑ "Population - key figures 1703-2023". PxWeb.
    31. ↑ "External migration by sex, age and citizenship 1986-2024".
    32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Population by origin, sex and age 1996–2021". PX-Web. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
    33. ↑ "Mannfjöldi eftir bakgrunni, kyni og aldri 1996-2020".
    34. ↑ Björnsson, Davíd F.; Zoega, Gylfi (2017-06-26). "Seasonality of birth rates in agricultural Iceland" (PDF). Scandinavian Economic History Review. 65 (3): 294–306. doi:10.1080/03585522.2017.1340333. ISSN 0358-5522. S2CID 157474068.
    35. ↑ Bjarnason, Thoroddur; Edvardsson, Ingi Runar (August 2017). "University pathways of urban and rural migration in Iceland" (PDF). Journal of Rural Studies. 54: 244–254. Bibcode:2017JRurS..54..244B. doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.07.001. hdl:20.500.11815/1073.
    36. ↑ "Aldrei lægra hlutfall Íslendinga í Þjóðkirkjunni – Zúistar nærri 1 prósent þjóðarinnar". Eyjan.pressan.is. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
    37. ↑ "Populations by religious and life stance organizations 1998-2026". PxWeb. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
    38. ↑ "Population - key figures 1703-2021". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
    39. ↑ "Population by municipality, sex, citizenship and quarters 2010-2021". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
    40. ↑ "Fertility and reproduction rates 1853-2020". Statistics Iceland. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
    41. ↑ "Tempo-adjusted TFR". Human Fertility Database. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
    42. ↑ Note: Crude migration change % is a trend analysis, an extrapolation based average population change (current year minus previous) minus natural change of the current year (see table vital statistics). As average population is an estimate of the population in the middle of the year and not end of the year.
    43. ↑ "Births, deaths and migration by sex and citizenship, NUTS3 regions and quarters 2010-2023". PxWeb.
    44. ↑ "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
    45. ↑ "Population projection 2025–2074". Reykjavík, Iceland: Statistics Iceland.
    46. ↑ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 2017-07-15.
    47. ↑ "Iceland". CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
    [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demographics_of_Iceland&oldid=1360578374"