Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland
Iceland: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 0.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.0%
Change on year
up 14.5%
World rank
185th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.6%
in 1950
All-time low
-0.3%
in 1997
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland stood at 0.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.5% on the previous year and down 77.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland peaked at 2.6% in 1950 and was at its lowest, -0.3%, in 1997.
Iceland ranks 185th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.6% | — |
| 1951 | 2.3% | -12.7% |
| 1952 | 0.8% | -66.2% |
| 1953 | 1.2% | +60.9% |
| 1954 | 0.9% | -30.7% |
| 1955 | 0.5% | -39.4% |
| 1956 | 0.6% | +16.8% |
| 1957 | 0.8% | +36.7% |
| 1958 | 1.1% | +38.8% |
| 1959 | 1.1% | -5.8% |
| 1960 | 0.8% | -26.1% |
| 1961 | 0.7% | -7.6% |
| 1962 | 0.6% | -15.0% |
| 1963 | 0.7% | +8.8% |
| 1964 | 0.7% | +7.8% |
| 1965 | 0.5% | -28.8% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | -22.2% |
| 1967 | 0.5% | +28.9% |
| 1968 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 0.4% | -29.1% |
| 1970 | 0.3% | -12.3% |
| 1971 | 0.4% | +25.5% |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +31.2% |
| 1973 | 0.4% | -19.5% |
| 1974 | 0.4% | -12.3% |
| 1975 | 0.4% | +7.0% |
| 1976 | 0.3% | -18.5% |
| 1977 | 0.3% | -15.3% |
| 1978 | 0.3% | -10.1% |
| 1979 | 0.2% | -7.2% |
| 1980 | 0.3% | +12.9% |
| 1981 | 0.3% | +13.6% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 0.3% | -6.1% |
| 1984 | 0.2% | -16.0% |
| 1985 | 0.2% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +16.6% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | +15.6% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -19.3% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | +12.9% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | -32.4% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | -24.3% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +17.4% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | +16.4% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | +6.3% |
| 1997 | -0.3% | -209.6% |
| 1998 | -0.1% | -74.5% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -612.5% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | -98.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +3754.2% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -66.9% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +315.8% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -96.6% |
| 2005 | -0.2% | -2103.4% |
| 2006 | -0.1% | -18.1% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -536.3% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -71.8% |
| 2010 | -0.1% | -146.1% |
| 2011 | -0.0% | -88.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -2492.6% |
| 2013 | -0.0% | -104.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0% | -393.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | +533.3% |
| 2016 | -0.1% | -128.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0% | -188.9% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +181.5% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +35.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | -93.8% |
| 2022 | -0.1% | -789.7% |
| 2023 | 0.0% | -132.4% |
| 2024 | 0.0% | +47.3% |
| 2025 | 0.0% | +14.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | -0.3% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | -0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | -0.1% | 0.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More population data for Iceland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.08 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2688 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 408.78 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4806 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6617 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 3.6 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 13,661 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iceland was 0.0% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.3% in 1997.
- How does Iceland rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- Iceland ranks 185th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 77.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average annual rate of change of the share of the population living in urban areas.