Country or area · Northern Europe · Europe · UN WPP 2024

Iceland population

Iceland population now

403,235

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 393,056–416,451.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 387,558

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 402,321; 95% range, 31 Dec: 393,056–416,451
Median age: 37.6
Aged 65+: 16.3%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2049

male female projection · one cell = 50 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

ISL · 1950–2100 · in brief

Iceland in numbers

Iceland had 387,558 people in mid-2023, the 179th-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and less than 0.01% of the world's people. That is 2.7 times its 1950 population of 143 thousand.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2049 at 433 thousand, then falling to 363 thousand by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 145 thousand to 756 thousand.

Births stay ahead of deaths until 2045; in the medium projection, deaths are ahead every year after it. The population still grows until 2049, because more people arrive than leave.

The median age was 26.5 in 1950 and 36.8 in 2023; the projection has 52.5 in 2100. 15.3% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 35.6% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2040 at 277 thousand.

Among countries it ranks 179th in 2023, 181st in 2050 and 181st in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes the Bahamas in 2028, Montenegro in 2080 and Macao in 2091. It is overtaken by Mayotte in 2033, Vanuatu in 2037 and French Guiana in 2044.

Population, mid-2023: 387,558
Rank by population, 2023: 179 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: less than 0.01%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.89% · +7,202 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 3.8
Land area, 2023: 100,830 km²
Births, 2023: 4,347
Deaths, 2023: 2,612
Net migration, 2023: +4,630
Children per woman, 2023: 1.54
Median age, 2023: 36.8 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 82.7 years
In a city, 2025: 54 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 142,668
Projected, mid-2050: 432,993
Projected, mid-2100: 362,582

ISL · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2049estimates | projections0200 k400 k600 k800 k1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. One column is one year's population, read on 1 January; the paper rules divide it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Iceland, 1950–2100

Iceland: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	141,037		4,103	1,122	3.85	71.0
1951	estimate	144,298		4,032	1,147	3.72	71.0
1952	estimate	146,542		4,110	1,087	3.79	72.4
1953	estimate	148,983		4,263	1,122	3.93	72.3
1954	estimate	152,500		4,294	1,063	3.91	73.3
1955	estimate	156,026		4,476	1,102	4.04	73.3
1956	estimate	159,467		4,579	1,160	4.11	72.9
1957	estimate	162,692		4,655	1,166	4.17	73.4
1958	estimate	166,818		4,608	1,173	4.07	73.3
1959	estimate	170,139		4,780	1,249	4.21	72.6
1960	estimate	173,850		4,867	1,174	4.26	74.0
1961	estimate	177,271		4,532	1,247	3.91	73.4
1962	estimate	180,724		4,706	1,240	3.98	73.6
1963	estimate	183,958		4,808	1,322	3.98	72.9
1964	estimate	187,328		4,770	1,312	3.87	73.5
1965	estimate	190,724		4,711	1,294	3.72	73.8
1966	estimate	193,942		4,673	1,402	3.58	73.1
1967	estimate	197,250		4,408	1,394	3.28	73.7
1968	estimate	200,316		4,228	1,398	3.06	73.9
1969	estimate	202,692		4,235	1,462	2.98	73.7
1970	estimate	204,062		4,062	1,467	2.81	73.8
1971	estimate	204,895		4,269	1,510	2.92	73.5
1972	estimate	207,426		4,649	1,459	3.08	74.4
1973	estimate	210,981		4,593	1,485	2.94	74.3
1974	estimate	213,780		4,277	1,518	2.66	74.1
1975	estimate	216,751		4,371	1,423	2.64	75.3
1976	estimate	219,305		4,304	1,352	2.52	76.6
1977	estimate	221,075		4,040	1,441	2.32	76.1
1978	estimate	222,593		4,170	1,429	2.35	76.4
1979	estimate	224,551		4,475	1,489	2.49	76.5
1980	estimate	226,961		4,536	1,543	2.48	76.6
1981	estimate	229,328		4,352	1,669	2.34	76.2
1982	estimate	232,165		4,334	1,595	2.27	76.8
1983	estimate	235,524		4,372	1,668	2.25	76.4
1984	estimate	238,403		4,121	1,594	2.08	77.3
1985	estimate	240,600		3,887	1,660	1.94	77.4
1986	estimate	242,204		3,895	1,600	1.94	77.9
1987	estimate	244,164		4,184	1,737	2.07	77.0
1988	estimate	247,545		4,621	1,832	2.26	76.9
1989	estimate	251,908		4,604	1,728	2.21	77.9
1990	estimate	253,793		4,771	1,721	2.30	77.7
1991	estimate	255,874		4,534	1,803	2.20	77.8
1992	estimate	259,750		4,624	1,733	2.21	78.6
1993	estimate	262,420		4,631	1,761	2.22	78.8
1994	estimate	265,088		4,460	1,731	2.14	79.0
1995	estimate	267,019		4,308	1,963	2.08	77.5
1996	estimate	268,001		4,322	1,894	2.11	78.7
1997	estimate	269,919		4,158	1,860	2.04	78.7
1998	estimate	272,450		4,161	1,839	2.04	79.4
1999	estimate	275,773		4,095	1,917	2.00	79.2
2000	estimate	279,123		4,279	1,835	2.07	79.5
2001	estimate	283,437		4,087	1,736	1.96	80.4
2002	estimate	286,668		4,062	1,834	1.94	80.3
2003	estimate	288,546		4,162	1,846	1.99	80.8
2004	estimate	290,664		4,235	1,840	2.04	80.7
2005	estimate	293,673		4,248	1,853	2.05	81.2
2006	estimate	299,996		4,371	1,913	2.08	80.9
2007	estimate	307,752		4,493	1,954	2.09	81.1
2008	estimate	315,549		4,801	2,005	2.16	81.2
2009	estimate	319,480		5,066	2,020	2.23	81.4
2010	estimate	317,744		4,924	2,035	2.19	81.6
2011	estimate	318,572		4,525	2,004	2.02	82.0
2012	estimate	319,702		4,536	1,983	2.03	82.3
2013	estimate	321,979		4,326	2,166	1.94	81.7
2014	estimate	325,792		4,356	2,066	1.93	82.4
2015	estimate	329,233		4,129	2,196	1.81	82.2
2016	estimate	332,670		4,013	2,330	1.74	81.8
2017	estimate	338,477		4,004	2,243	1.71	82.2
2018	estimate	348,586		4,169	2,266	1.71	82.5
2019	estimate	357,122		4,403	2,280	1.74	82.8
2020	estimate	364,277		4,486	2,315	1.72	82.7
2021	estimate	368,951		4,819	2,344	1.82	82.8
2022	estimate	376,336		4,334	2,826	1.59	81.6
2023	estimate	384,375		4,347	2,612	1.54	82.7
2024	estimate	390,740		4,377	2,613	1.52	83.0
2025	projection	396,051	392,723–399,894	4,367	2,648	1.50	83.2
2026	projection	400,481	393,191–408,524	4,346	2,683	1.49	83.3
2027	projection	404,177	393,056–416,451	4,317	2,725	1.48	83.4
2028	projection	407,501	391,348–424,077	4,289	2,768	1.48	83.6
2029	projection	410,558	389,985–432,308	4,262	2,815	1.48	83.7
2030	projection	413,154	388,092–439,821	4,225	2,869	1.48	83.9
2031	projection	415,542	386,882–447,914	4,191	2,926	1.48	84.0
2032	projection	417,676	385,768–454,654	4,155	2,988	1.48	84.1
2033	projection	419,553	382,774–461,224	4,128	3,052	1.48	84.3
2034	projection	421,286	381,750–469,082	4,098	3,122	1.48	84.4
2035	projection	422,820	379,692–475,972	4,069	3,192	1.48	84.5
2036	projection	424,337	376,065–482,506	4,044	3,260	1.48	84.7
2037	projection	425,707	373,722–488,614	4,019	3,331	1.48	84.8
2038	projection	426,929	371,200–494,190	3,996	3,406	1.49	84.9
2039	projection	428,046	368,618–498,581	3,973	3,480	1.49	85.0
2040	projection	429,034	365,966–505,526	3,942	3,546	1.49	85.1
2041	projection	429,871	363,774–511,328	3,908	3,609	1.49	85.3
2042	projection	430,581	359,467–519,091	3,876	3,678	1.49	85.4
2043	projection	431,253	357,159–524,885	3,853	3,741	1.49	85.5
2044	projection	431,917	354,150–530,840	3,832	3,797	1.50	85.6
2045	projection	432,369	350,246–536,745	3,811	3,862	1.50	85.7
2046	projection	432,599	346,800–543,786	3,789	3,914	1.50	85.9
2047	projection	432,792	342,582–549,124	3,772	3,970	1.50	86.0
2048	projection	432,904	339,836–555,956	3,759	4,019	1.50	86.1
2049	projection	432,981	335,881–559,744	3,747	4,065	1.50	86.2
2050	projection	433,016	334,557–564,626	3,734	4,104	1.51	86.3
2051	projection	432,970	332,583–570,084	3,712	4,143	1.51	86.5
2052	projection	432,992	329,537–575,593	3,694	4,177	1.51	86.6
2053	projection	432,798	326,761–585,168	3,669	4,214	1.51	86.7
2054	projection	432,603	323,259–587,453	3,646	4,243	1.51	86.8
2055	projection	432,381	317,710–590,573	3,623	4,274	1.51	86.9
2056	projection	431,985	313,867–594,553	3,588	4,302	1.51	87.0
2057	projection	431,520	310,991–596,586	3,556	4,332	1.51	87.1
2058	projection	430,958	307,938–604,852	3,526	4,357	1.51	87.3
2059	projection	430,385	303,499–605,519	3,495	4,385	1.51	87.4
2060	projection	429,753	298,923–610,300	3,464	4,408	1.51	87.5
2061	projection	428,968	295,500–611,219	3,426	4,445	1.51	87.6
2062	projection	428,255	293,226–616,832	3,399	4,471	1.51	87.7
2063	projection	427,326	289,093–624,237	3,368	4,510	1.52	87.8
2064	projection	426,435	286,666–626,345	3,343	4,545	1.52	87.9
2065	projection	425,553	283,115–629,034	3,322	4,586	1.52	88.0
2066	projection	424,519	278,677–634,566	3,291	4,626	1.52	88.2
2067	projection	423,488	277,317–637,605	3,270	4,674	1.52	88.3
2068	projection	422,326	275,735–643,804	3,241	4,722	1.52	88.4
2069	projection	421,248	270,487–646,943	3,218	4,771	1.52	88.5
2070	projection	420,073	265,178–646,250	3,202	4,819	1.52	88.6
2071	projection	418,783	260,177–649,690	3,182	4,868	1.52	88.7
2072	projection	417,427	253,887–654,038	3,163	4,914	1.53	88.8
2073	projection	415,909	250,526–660,745	3,147	4,966	1.53	89.0
2074	projection	414,507	244,639–661,295	3,131	5,019	1.53	89.0
2075	projection	413,022	241,060–666,532	3,114	5,072	1.53	89.2
2076	projection	411,413	237,513–671,514	3,103	5,126	1.53	89.3
2077	projection	409,695	232,544–674,394	3,090	5,176	1.53	89.4
2078	projection	407,743	228,430–676,630	3,072	5,218	1.53	89.5
2079	projection	405,860	224,940–676,484	3,053	5,262	1.53	89.6
2080	projection	403,876	220,557–682,435	3,035	5,298	1.53	89.8
2081	projection	401,825	217,241–686,975	3,020	5,340	1.54	89.8
2082	projection	399,770	213,252–691,021	3,004	5,364	1.54	90.0
2083	projection	397,792	207,504–696,415	2,990	5,386	1.54	90.1
2084	projection	395,704	201,404–700,122	2,976	5,392	1.54	90.2
2085	projection	393,628	197,275–706,109	2,960	5,387	1.54	90.3
2086	projection	391,500	193,777–715,081	2,942	5,371	1.54	90.4
2087	projection	389,384	189,646–713,005	2,925	5,338	1.54	90.5
2088	projection	387,193	186,258–718,308	2,907	5,293	1.55	90.7
2089	projection	384,984	183,790–719,614	2,885	5,240	1.55	90.8
2090	projection	382,957	179,658–719,948	2,867	5,187	1.55	90.9
2091	projection	380,931	174,626–726,742	2,850	5,124	1.55	91.0
2092	projection	378,822	170,144–725,114	2,828	5,061	1.55	91.1
2093	projection	376,696	165,068–724,914	2,806	4,996	1.55	91.2
2094	projection	374,711	161,657–735,133	2,785	4,940	1.55	91.3
2095	projection	372,786	157,524–737,872	2,766	4,887	1.55	91.4
2096	projection	370,869	153,338–741,679	2,747	4,837	1.56	91.6
2097	projection	368,955	151,190–744,555	2,727	4,808	1.56	91.7
2098	projection	367,111	149,296–748,764	2,703	4,765	1.55	91.8
2099	projection	365,290	146,697–753,302	2,689	4,740	1.56	91.9
2100	projection	363,492	144,613–755,908	2,673	4,709	1.56	92.0

Show the numbers: Iceland, mid-2026, by single year of age

Iceland: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	2,272	2,139
1	2,320	2,176
2	2,352	2,204
3	2,374	2,229
4	2,524	2,370
5	2,604	2,388
6	2,496	2,311
7	2,430	2,244
8	2,358	2,137
9	2,279	2,146
10	2,284	2,173
11	2,354	2,236
12	2,354	2,320
13	2,391	2,356
14	2,482	2,352
15	2,572	2,422
16	2,684	2,524
17	2,689	2,534
18	2,645	2,506
19	2,647	2,502
20	2,676	2,518
21	2,709	2,573
22	2,700	2,620
23	2,654	2,612
24	2,713	2,628
25	2,854	2,734
26	2,877	2,833
27	2,924	2,846
28	3,084	2,898
29	3,202	2,981
30	3,266	3,038
31	3,382	3,109
32	3,542	3,239
33	3,628	3,235
34	3,646	3,101
35	3,638	3,117
36	3,551	3,090
37	3,451	2,946
38	3,293	2,761
39	3,046	2,600
40	2,912	2,580
41	2,910	2,585
42	2,944	2,609
43	2,962	2,602
44	2,928	2,534
45	2,900	2,550
46	2,870	2,585
47	2,682	2,478
48	2,492	2,348
49	2,508	2,319
50	2,543	2,331
51	2,478	2,279
52	2,516	2,300
53	2,550	2,411
54	2,427	2,298
55	2,280	2,100
56	2,210	2,100
57	2,203	2,106
58	2,182	2,124
59	2,211	2,242
60	2,259	2,244
61	2,195	2,246
62	2,162	2,262
63	2,154	2,203
64	2,066	2,102
65	2,070	2,065
66	2,120	2,096
67	2,030	2,053
68	1,979	1,978
69	1,953	1,917
70	1,838	1,862
71	1,744	1,775
72	1,687	1,706
73	1,604	1,607
74	1,490	1,543
75	1,462	1,486
76	1,422	1,374
77	1,280	1,339
78	1,182	1,258
79	1,101	1,125
80	1,007	1,068
81	902	1,002
82	770	925
83	681	850
84	588	737
85	483	645
86	428	558
87	384	471
88	330	410
89	275	373
90	225	328
91	187	272
92	150	224
93	120	183
94	94	147
95	70	120
96	49	89
97	32	60
98	20	42
99	13	28
100+	18	40

ISL · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Iceland, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

ISL · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Iceland

On the UN's projection, Iceland will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2040: 276,986 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 258,096.

100 aged 15–64

27 children

23 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: the orange squares are 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023, and the rows below are how many children (teal) and how many people aged 65 or older (violet) lived alongside them.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 9 years: 2006–2011 and 2018–2020.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

ISL · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Iceland, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Iceland gains 4,446 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 905 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 100 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: left to right is age, from babies to 100. Blue squares above the line are ages at which more people arrive than leave; orange squares below it, ages at which more leave than arrive. These are the UN's projection for 2020–2025. There is no record of migration by age before 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 8,348 (2017); its biggest loss, 4,785 (2009).

In 2024, 98,818 people living in Iceland had been born in another country, 25 of every 100 people there, against 4 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

ISL · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Iceland

Of every 100 babies born in Iceland in 2023, 1 had a mother under 20, 79 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 20 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 10 under 20 and 16 aged 35 or older.

1950
10 · 74 · 16

2023
1 · 79 · 20

2050 · projected
0 · 74 · 26

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: each block is 100 babies born in that year, one square each, coloured by how old the mother was. The numbers under a block are the three groups, youngest mothers first.

Babies born, 2023: 4,347
Average age when women have a baby: 30.8 years; 28.6 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 3; 69 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Iceland by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	1	4	1	0	0	0
15–19	412	683	244	40	11	8
20–24	1,174	1,537	918	484	308	224
25–29	1,074	1,186	1,343	1,479	1,237	860
30–34	778	626	1,098	1,482	1,220	896
35–39	477	255	565	684	686	494
40–44	174	76	107	163	218	151
45–49	13	4	3	15	52	38
50–54	0	0	0	0	2	2
All babies	4,103	4,371	4,279	4,347	3,734	2,673

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

ISL · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Iceland

A baby born in Iceland in 2021 could expect 82.6 years of life, 71.4 of them in full health (WHO gives no range for this figure). The years in less than full health come to 11.2, above the world's 9.5.

Women

71.3 in full health, 12.6 not: 83.9 years

Men

71.4 in full health, 9.9 not: 81.3 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 71.3 healthy years of 83.9. Men: 71.4 of 81.3.

ISL · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Iceland

At the end of 2025, Iceland was hosting 9,119 people who had crossed a border into it, about 23 of every 1,000 people living there.

hosted from abroad9,119
Iceland nationals abroad5

stayed inside their own country crossed a border

How to read this: one square stands for 200 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Iceland living in another country, wherever they are. An outlined square means fewer people than one square stands for.

In 2025, 1,640 people asked for asylum in Iceland for the first time. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

ISL · of every 100 people

How people live in Iceland

Of every 100 people in Iceland in 2025, 54 lived in a city, 22 in a town or suburb and 24 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

Nearly everyone has electricity at home (2024). 1.8 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every 100th person, coloured by where they live, as the key says. The same rule is used in every country.

How the world's people live

ISL · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Iceland went in school

Almost every adult in Iceland went to school: of every 100 in 2020, 68 finished upper secondary or went further.

32 finished lower secondary 31 finished upper secondary 37 studied after school

The middle projection has its working-age people most numerous in 2040; those among them who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2090.

How to read this: the row is the adults (25 and over) shrunk to 100 people, coloured by how far each went in school, least schooling on the left. The Wittgenstein Centre's count, 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

ISL · cities · 2025

Cities in Iceland

Iceland had 1 city in 2025, home to 217,616 people.

Reykjavík217,616

How to read this: the city in 2025, bars on one scale. A city is the whole built-up area on the UN's rule, not the city's own boundary.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Iceland are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.