How Many People Live in Iceland? (2026 Data)

Iceland needed until 1926 to reach 100,000 people, and then only 81 more years to pass 300,000. Today the count stands at 396,500¹, yet in 2024 the fertility rate fell to its lowest level since records began in 1853. The population now grows mainly through migration, not births.

That shift shapes where and how people live. Almost two-thirds of the population lives in the capital region, about 1 in 5 residents is an immigrant, and Statistics Iceland expects around 535,110² people by 2050. This report brings together Statistics Iceland's population tables, Eurostat and World Bank comparisons and official health figures to show how many people live in Iceland, who they are, where they live and how the population is changing.

Iceland population over time

Statistics Iceland's population series starts with the census of 1703, which counted 50,358³ people. Growth was slow for two centuries: the population passed 100,000 only in 1926³. It doubled to 200,000 by 1968³, reached 300,000 in 2007³ and 350,000 in 2020³. On 1 January 2026 it stood at 394,324³, and by the end of June 2026 at 396,500¹: 203,080¹ men, 193,180¹ women and 230¹ people registered as non-binary or other.

The chart fits a straight line to the years since 2000, a period that includes both the decline of 2009–2010 and the fast growth that followed, and draws it forward to 2050, where it reaches about 480,000³ people. Statistics Iceland's own median projection, which models births, deaths and migration, is higher: 535,110² people in 2050.

Iceland population growth rate

In the year to the end of June 2026 the population grew by 4,690⁴ people, or 1.2%⁴. Over a full calendar year, 2023 added 8,508³ people (+2.27%). Since 1951, the fastest growth came in 2017³ at 2.91%, and the largest rise in numbers in 2022³, when the population grew by 10,301. The only years of decline since 1951 were 2009 and 2010; in 2010 the population fell by 5,789³ people.

The World Bank publishes different figures for Iceland because it uses mid-year estimates. Its current release puts the 2023 population at 385,663⁵ and growth at 0.95%⁵. The figure of 393,396 that often appears in searches came from an earlier World Bank release and is no longer in its data. For Iceland's own count, Statistics Iceland is the primary source.

How big will Iceland's population get?

Statistics Iceland's latest projection, based on 1 January 2025, expects growth to continue for four decades. In the median scenario the population reaches 462,657² in 2035 and 535,110² in 2050, peaks at 559,290² in 2067² and then eases to 554,233² by 2074.

The range is wide because migration is hard to predict. By 2074 the lowest scenario gives 453,033² people and the highest 697,452². The median scenario assumes that life expectancy keeps rising, to 87.0² years for women and 82.8² for men by 2050. Projections also miss in the short run: the median scenario expected 397,460 people on 1 January 2026, while the actual count was 394,324.

Population of Iceland by age

On 1 January 2026, 17.5%⁶ of the population were children under 15, 66.3%⁶ were of working age (15–64) and 16.2%⁶ were 65 or older. 14,814⁶ people were 80 or older. The largest five-year age group is people aged 30–34, with 31,871⁶ people, while the youngest group, children under five, numbers 22,535⁶.

Statistics Iceland also tracks the dependency ratio, the number of young (under 20) and old (65 and over) people for every 100 people aged 20–64. The old-age ratio has risen from 14.2⁷ in 1951 to 27.0⁷ in 2026, while the young-age ratio has fallen from 73.5 to 40.3⁷.

Iceland median age

Half of Iceland's residents are younger than 37.5⁶ and half are older, based on our calculation from Statistics Iceland's single-year age data. In 1970 that midpoint was 24.3⁶. Statistics Iceland itself publishes the mean age, which was 39.2⁶ in 2026 against 28.0⁶ in 1841, the first year in the series.

Iceland population by gender

Iceland has slightly more men than women. On 1 January 2026 there were 202,181⁶ men and 191,927⁶ women, or 1,053⁶ men for every 1,000 women. Statistics Iceland also counts people registered as non-binary or other: 230¹ at the end of June 2026.

Births, deaths and life expectancy

In 2025, 4,387⁸ children were born in Iceland and 2,658⁸ people died, a natural increase of 1,729. The most births in a single year were 5,026⁸ in 2009. In the same year, net migration added 3,167⁹ people, more than births minus deaths.

Total fertility rate of Iceland

The total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at current rates, was 5.66⁸ in 1853. It fell to 2.31⁸ by 1990 and to 1.56⁸ in 2024, the lowest since the series began. In 2025 it was 1.56⁸. A straight line through the years since 1990 keeps falling to 2050; Statistics Iceland's median projection instead assumes about 1.49² children per woman in 2050.

Statistics Iceland births by month

Averaged over 2016–2025, August⁸ has the most births, about 400⁸, and February⁸ the fewest, about 325⁸. Births rise through the summer and early autumn, from July to September, and are lowest in February and December. Single years vary: in 2025 the busiest month was October, with 434⁸ births, and the quietest February, with 319⁸.

Average life expectancy in Iceland

A baby born in Iceland in 2025 could expect to live 84.2¹⁰ years if a girl and 81.0¹⁰ years if a boy. In 1971–1975 the figures were 77.5¹⁰ and 71.6¹⁰. Men have gained more, so the gap between women and men has narrowed from 5.9 to 3.2 years.

Iceland population by city

Most people live in and around the capital. The urban area of Greater Reykjavík had 247,162¹¹ residents on 1 January 2026, followed by Keflavík and Njarðvík with 22,572¹¹, Akureyri with 20,467¹¹ and Selfoss with 11,066¹¹. Only 4.5%¹¹ of the population lives in rural areas outside towns and villages.

By region, the fastest growth over the last ten years came outside the capital: the South grew by 37.7%¹¹ from 2016 to 2026 and the Southern Peninsula by 34.0%¹¹, against 20.6% in the capital region.

Outside the southwest, the Northeast is the largest region with 32,296¹¹ people, followed by the West with 17,997¹¹ and the East with 11,211¹¹. The Northwest and the Westfjords are the smallest, each with just over 7,300 residents, and the Westfjords grew by only 8.8%¹¹ in ten years.

How many people live in Reykjavik

The municipality of Reykjavík, Reykjavíkurborg, had 140,470⁴ residents at the end of June 2026, more than three times as many as Kópavogur, the second-largest municipality, with 40,240⁴.

What percentage of Iceland's population live in Reykjavik

The municipality alone holds 35.4%⁴ of the country's population. Counting the whole capital region, including Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður and the other surrounding municipalities, the share rises to 63.9%¹.

How many people live in Vik Iceland

Vík í Mýrdal, the village on the south coast, had 740¹¹ residents on 1 January 2026, up from 318¹¹ in 2016, more than double. The wider municipality, Mýrdalshreppur, grew from 513¹¹ to 1,004¹¹ over the same years.

From a single village to the whole map: spread across about 103,000 km²¹² of land, Iceland's population works out at 3.85¹² people per square kilometre, or about 10 per square mile. Eurostat's regional data puts Iceland at 3.8, the lowest of the 35 countries it covers, well below the next lowest, Norway at 15.3¹³.

Iceland foreign-born population percentage

On 1 January 2026, 77,226⁹ immigrants lived in Iceland, people born abroad whose parents and grandparents were also born abroad. That is 19.6%⁹ of the population, up from 9.1% in 2016. Counted by citizenship, foreign citizens made up 17.9%⁹ of residents in 2026, against 2.6%⁹ in 2000.

People from Poland are by far the largest group, with 23,329⁹ Polish citizens, followed by citizens of Lithuania (4,725) and Ukraine (4,636). Migration now drives most of Iceland's growth: net migration added 3,167⁹ people in 2025 and peaked at 8,660⁹ in 2022. The balance differs sharply by citizenship. In 2025 foreign citizens added 3,512⁹, while 345⁹ more Icelandic citizens left than moved back, as they did in 7 of the 11 years from 2015 to 2025.

How many Americans live in Iceland

1,113⁹ US citizens lived in Iceland on 1 January 2026, more than twice the 505⁹ of 2016. That is about 0.28% of the population. The count covers citizenship only, so Americans who also hold Icelandic citizenship are counted as Icelanders.

Iceland among Europe's smallest countries

In Eurostat's table of population on 1 January 2025, which covers 41 European countries, Iceland is the 3rd smallest¹³ with 389,444¹³ people. Only Monaco, with 38,423¹³, and Liechtenstein, with 40,886¹³, are smaller. Andorra, San Marino and Vatican City, which all have fewer people than Iceland, have no figure in that table. Among the Nordic countries, Norway has about 14 times¹³ as many people as Iceland.

Behind the totals are individual lives, and one of the most searched questions about Iceland's population is about health.

How many people in Iceland have Down syndrome

About 260¹⁴ people with Down syndrome lived in Iceland according to a 2018 estimate by the State Diagnostic and Counselling Centre. A peer-reviewed study of Europe estimated 234¹⁵ people with Down syndrome in Iceland in 2015, compared with 2,887¹⁵ in Denmark and about 419,000¹⁵ across Europe.

Prenatal screening is offered to all pregnant women: an ultrasound at 11–14 weeks, optionally combined with a blood test for a risk assessment, and a scan at 20 weeks. The Directorate of Health's patient portal states that it is the expectant parents' choice whether to accept screening.¹⁶ The State Diagnostic and Counselling Centre estimated in 2018 that 75–85%¹⁴ of expectant parents choose it.

Official figures come from the Minister of Health's answers to parliament. From 2007 to 2012, between 3,161¹⁷ and 3,623¹⁷ women a year were screened at 12 weeks, and trisomy 21 was diagnosed at 12 weeks in 38¹⁷ pregnancies; the answer's table records 37¹⁷ terminations. For 2002–2006, an earlier answer recorded 33¹⁸ cases, 27¹⁸ of them diagnosed during pregnancy, and stated that all but two of the women diagnosed ended the pregnancy. The centre's 2018 overview puts the number of children born with Down syndrome at between 2 and 10 per birth year. At the start of the 2000s, incidence was estimated at about 1 in 850 births.¹⁹

What the numbers mean

Iceland's population figures point in one direction: growth depends on people moving to the country. In 2025, births exceeded deaths by 1,729, while net migration added 3,167, and the fertility rate is at its lowest level on record. In 2025, net migration of foreign citizens alone, 3,512 people, was about twice the natural increase.

The age structure is shifting at the same time. The old-age dependency ratio has risen from 14.2 to 27.0 since the early 1950s, while the share of children has fallen. And growth is uneven across the map: the South and the Southern Peninsula have grown faster than the capital region over the last decade, and a village like Vík í Mýrdal has more than doubled in ten years.

Conclusions

1. Iceland now grows through migration, not births. The fertility rate reached a record low of 1.56 in 2024, while immigrants make up 19.6% of the population and net migration in 2025 was almost twice the natural increase.
2. The population is concentrating in the southwest. Almost two-thirds of people live in the capital region, yet the fastest growth of the last ten years came in the South and on the Southern Peninsula.
3. Iceland is ageing slowly. The mean age has risen from 28.0 in 1841 to 39.2 today, and the number of people aged 65 and over per 100 of working age keeps climbing.
4. Small numbers make every figure sensitive. In a population of under 400,000, a few hundred people change a percentage, as the counts for Vík í Mýrdal and for people with Down syndrome show.