World Factbook
Iceland
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
Icelandic, English, Polish, Nordic languages, German
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 (includes Zuist and Pentecostal) or unspecified 18.7%, none 7.7% (2024 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.02 male(s)/female
total population
1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.9 male(s)/female
Birth rate
12.47 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.62 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
37.4 years
total
38.2 years (2025 est.)
female
38.6 years
Population
male
182,268
total
364,036 (2024 est.)
female
181,768
Nationality
noun
Icelander(s)
adjective
Icelandic
Tobacco use
male
7.9% (2025 est.)
total
8% (2025 est.)
female
8% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
94% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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% (2024 est.) (male 29,366/female 32,719)
Ethnic groups
Icelandic 78.7%, Polish 5.8%, Danish 1%, Ukrainian 1%, other 13.5% (2024 est.)
note: data represent population by country of birth
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
58.3 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
31.3 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
3.7 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
27 (2024 est.)
Physician density
4.37 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
8.6% of GDP (2022)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
16.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.8 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.93 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
7.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
15.7% national budget (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
1.8 deaths/1,000 live births
total
1.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
1.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.82% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.94 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
Iceland is almost entirely urban, with half of the population located in and around the capital of Reykjavik; smaller clusters are primarily found along the coast in the north and west
Life expectancy at birth
male
81.8 years
female
86.3 years
total population
84 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
4.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
2.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
7.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
1.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
216,000 REYKJAVIK (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
21.9% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
28.7 years (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
48.5% (2023 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
18 years (2022 est.)
total
19 years (2022 est.)
female
20 years (2022 est.)