What is Iceland's current population?

Iceland's population was 394,324 on 1 January 2026, according to Statistics Iceland, and preliminary quarterly figures put it at 395,050 by the end of March 2026. Iceland remains the most sparsely populated country in Europe, at roughly 3.8 people per square kilometre.

How much of Iceland's population lives in Reykjavik?

About 64% of Iceland's population (251,912 of 394,324 people on 1 January 2026) lives in the capital region (Reykjavík plus neighbouring municipalities such as Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, and Garðabær). Reykjavík municipality itself has 139,804 residents (Statistics Iceland).

How do Icelandic names work?

Icelanders use a patronymic (or matronymic) naming system rather than family surnames. A child's last name is formed from their father's (or mother's) first name plus '-son' or '-dóttir'. For example, if a man named Jón has a son named Ólafur, the son's name is Ólafur Jónsson. A daughter would be Jónsdóttir.

What is the Íslendingabók genealogy database?

Íslendingabók (Book of Icelanders) is an online genealogical database containing records of virtually all known Icelanders, living and dead. Due to Iceland's small gene pool, it helps people check how closely they are related. There is even an app for it, sometimes jokingly called the 'anti-incest app.'

What language do Icelanders speak?

Icelandic is the official language, a North Germanic language that has changed remarkably little since the Viking Age. Most Icelanders also speak excellent English, and many speak Danish or other Scandinavian languages as well.

What religion do Icelanders follow?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland remains the national church, with 56.3% of the population registered as members on 1 January 2026 (Statistics Iceland), down from 89.9% in 1998. The Roman Catholic Church is second-largest at about 4%, the Norse pagan Ásatrúarfélagið has grown to about 1.6%, and 7.7% of residents belong to no religious organisation. Iceland legalized same-sex marriage in 2010 with a unanimous parliamentary vote.

How diverse is Iceland's population?

Immigrants (first-generation, foreign-born) numbered 77,226 on 1 January 2026, or 19.6% of Iceland's population (Statistics Iceland). Including the second generation, the share is 21.7%. Poland is by far the largest origin country (23,055 people, 29.9% of all immigrants), followed by Ukraine (6.1%) and Lithuania (4.9%). A total of 1,085 people were granted Icelandic citizenship in 2025.

Iceland Population: Demographics and Key Statistics

Official Statistics Iceland data on Europe's most sparsely populated country: growth since 1900, where people live, age structure, and migration, with every figure linked to its source.

Last reviewed July 20, 2026By the Iceland.org Travel TeamEditorial policy

Population

394,324 (1 Jan 2026)

63.9% in the capital region. ~3.8 people per km².

Quick Answer

Iceland's population was 394,324 on 1 January 2026, up 4,880 (+1.3%) in a year, per Statistics Iceland. Preliminary figures put it at 395,050 by the end of March 2026. That makes Iceland Europe's most sparsely populated country at roughly 3.8 people per km², with 63.9% of residents living in the capital region around Reykjavík and immigrants making up 19.6% of the population.

Iceland counts its people more precisely than almost anywhere else: a national register records every resident, and Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands) publishes annual and quarterly population figures from it. This page collects the key numbers (total population, growth since 1900, regional distribution, age structure, and migration) from the latest official releases, each linked below with its reference period. Beyond the numbers, Iceland's demographics come with famous quirks: a patronymic naming system with no family surnames, and the Íslendingabók genealogy database (created with deCODE Genetics in 2003) that lets Icelanders trace their lineage back to the settlement era.

Sources and last reviewed

Last reviewed: 2026-07-20

All population figures on this page are from official Statistics Iceland releases and statistical tables. The main reference date is 1 January 2026 (published 12 March 2026); quarterly figures through Q1 2026 are preliminary. Each table cites its source and reference period.

Pages are reviewed for practical usefulness, source quality, and volatile claims before publication.

Official sources to check

Total population

394,324

On 1 January 2026, up 4,880 (+1.3%) from a year earlier (Statistics Iceland).

Density

~3.8 per km²

Europe's most sparsely populated country. Vast uninhabited interior.

Capital region

63.9%

251,912 people live in Greater Reykjavík (1 Jan 2026).

Population Growth Since 1900

Iceland's population has quintupled since 1900. Growth was driven by natural increase through the 20th century, then increasingly by immigration: the record years 2022 and 2023 added more people through net migration alone than most decades before 1950 added in total. All figures are the official population on 1 January of each year.

Year	Population (1 Jan)	Notes
1900	77,967	Mostly rural and coastal; fishing and farming economy
1950	141,042	Urbanization accelerating toward Reykjavík
1970	204,042	Passes 200,000
1990	253,785	Steady natural growth
2000	279,049	Economic expansion begins drawing foreign workers
2010	317,630	Post-2008 crash: emigration briefly exceeds immigration
2020	354,042	Tourism boom decade adds ~36,000 people
2024	383,726	Record net migration years 2022–2023
2025	389,444	+5,718 people (+1.5%) during 2024
2026	394,324	+4,880 people (+1.3%) during 2025

Source: Table MAN00000: Population - key figures 1703–2026 · Reference period: population on 1 January, 1900–2026

Where People Live: Population by Region

Nearly two thirds of Icelanders live in the capital region. Outside it, the South was the fastest-growing region in 2025 (+3.7%), and even the remote Westfjords grew by 2.3%, while the East and Northwest were essentially flat. The interior highlands are uninhabited.

Region	Population (1 Jan 2026)	Share	Change during 2025
Capital region	251,912	63.9%	+2,858 (+1.1%)
South	36,570	9.3%	+1,292 (+3.7%)
Northeast	32,296	8.2%	+270 (+0.8%)
Southwest (Reykjanes)	29,644	7.5%	+67 (+0.2%)
West	17,997	4.6%	+236 (+1.3%)
East	11,211	2.8%	−6 (−0.1%)
Northwest	7,353	1.9%	−2 (0.0%)
Westfjords	7,341	1.9%	+165 (+2.3%)

Source: Table MAN03250: Population by regions 1998–2026 · Reference period: 1 January 2026 (shares and changes computed from the same table)

Largest Municipalities

Iceland has 62 municipalities, ranging from Reykjavík (139,804 people) to Tjörneshreppur (54 people). Five of the eight largest are part of the contiguous capital region.

Municipality	Population (1 Jan 2026)	Region
Reykjavík	139,804	Capital region
Kópavogur	40,286	Capital region
Hafnarfjörður	32,398	Capital region
Reykjanesbær (Keflavík)	22,697	Southwest
Garðabær	20,724	Capital region
Akureyri	20,284	Northeast
Mosfellsbær	13,772	Capital region
Árborg (Selfoss)	12,671	South

Source: Table MAN02005: Population by municipality 1998–2026 · Reference period: 1 January 2026

Age Structure

Iceland is young by European standards but aging: the mean age is 39.2 years (38.7 for males, 39.8 for females), and Statistics Iceland notes the 65-and-over share of the working-age population has risen from 23.9% to 27.0% over the past decade while the under-20 share has fallen.

Age group	Population (1 Jan 2026)	Share
0–19 years	94,939	24.1%
20–64 years	235,656	59.8%
65 years and older	63,729	16.2%

Source: Table MAN00110: Population by age and dependency ratio 1951–2026 · Reference period: 1 January 2026 (mean age from table MAN00102)

Life expectancy at birth in 2025 was 84.2 years for women and 81.0 years for men, among the highest in the world (Statistics Iceland, life tables 2025).

Migration and Immigration

Net migration (arrivals minus departures) has been the main engine of Iceland's recent growth, driven by labor demand in tourism, construction, and fishing. Immigrants (first-generation, foreign-born) numbered 77,226 on 1 January 2026, or 19.6% of the population; including the second generation the share is 21.7% (Statistics Iceland, population by origin). Poland is the largest origin country by far (23,055 people, 29.9% of all immigrants), followed by Ukraine (6.1%) and Lithuania (4.9%).

Period	Net migration	Notes
2021	+4,128	Recovery after the pandemic dip
2022	+8,660	Record year: labor demand plus arrivals from Ukraine
2023	+6,790	Second-highest on record
2024	+4,044	Growth moderating
Q1 2026	+240	Icelandic citizens −210, foreign citizens +450 (preliminary)

Source: Table MAN00000: Population - key figures 1703–2026 · Reference period: annual net immigration 2021–2024; Q1 2026 from the quarterly release below

In the first quarter of 2026, 1,110 children were born, 640 people died, and net migration added 240 people; foreign citizens numbered 70,650 (17.9% of the population) at the end of March 2026 (Statistics Iceland, Q1 2026 release, preliminary). A total of 1,085 people were granted Icelandic citizenship in 2025, up from 638 in 2024 (population by origin release).

Society & Culture

Patronymic naming: last names derived from parent's first name + son/dóttir
Íslendingabók genealogy database tracks virtually all Icelanders, living and dead
Near-universal literacy and a strong emphasis on education
High standard of living with universal healthcare and social welfare
Icelandic is the official language; English is widely spoken

Equality & Belief

Ranked #1 on the Global Gender Gap Index for 16 consecutive years (WEF 2025)
56.3% belong to the national Lutheran church; 7.7% to no religious organisation (Statistics Iceland, 1 Jan 2026)
First country to elect an openly gay head of government (Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, 2009)
Same-sex marriage legalized in 2010 by unanimous parliamentary vote
The Norse pagan Ásatrúarfélagið (founded 1972) is among the fastest-growing religious groups

Data Sources and Reference Periods

Everything on this page comes from Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands), the country's official statistics office, except the gender-gap ranking (World Economic Forum). The main reference date is 1 January 2026; quarterly 2026 figures are preliminary and may be revised. This page was last updated on 20 July 2026.

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