Birth seasonality in Iceland
Iceland: Birth seasonality was 27.8 births per million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
27.8 births per million people
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
9th
of 40 countries
All-time high
86.76 births per million people
in 1895
All-time low
26.98 births per million people
in 2022
Years of data
146
1878–2023
Birth seasonality in Iceland, 1878–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per million people.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 27.8 births per million people for birth seasonality in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth seasonality in Iceland peaked at 86.76 births per million people in 1895 and was at its lowest, 26.98 births per million people, in 2022.
That places Iceland 9th out of 40 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 146 years of available data.
Birth seasonality in Iceland, year by year
| Year | births per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | 67.69 births per million people | — |
| 1879 | 80.19 births per million people | +18.5% |
| 1880 | 77.8 births per million people | -3.0% |
| 1881 | 66.25 births per million people | -14.8% |
| 1882 | 64.04 births per million people | -3.3% |
| 1883 | 78.89 births per million people | +23.2% |
| 1884 | 79.53 births per million people | +0.8% |
| 1885 | 67.94 births per million people | -14.6% |
| 1886 | 67.23 births per million people | -1.0% |
| 1887 | 61.43 births per million people | -8.6% |
| 1888 | 66.64 births per million people | +8.5% |
| 1889 | 64.03 births per million people | -3.9% |
| 1890 | 65.38 births per million people | +2.1% |
| 1891 | 82.64 births per million people | +26.4% |
| 1892 | 62.41 births per million people | -24.5% |
| 1893 | 79.7 births per million people | +27.7% |
| 1894 | 55.12 births per million people | -30.8% |
| 1895 | 86.76 births per million people | +57.4% |
| 1896 | 82.42 births per million people | -5.0% |
| 1897 | 67.47 births per million people | -18.1% |
| 1898 | 58.58 births per million people | -13.2% |
| 1899 | 75.38 births per million people | +28.7% |
| 1900 | 62.31 births per million people | -17.3% |
| 1901 | 68.14 births per million people | +9.4% |
| 1902 | 59.53 births per million people | -12.6% |
| 1903 | 60.83 births per million people | +2.2% |
| 1904 | 66.3 births per million people | +9.0% |
| 1905 | 70.55 births per million people | +6.4% |
| 1906 | 65.34 births per million people | -7.4% |
| 1907 | 70.1 births per million people | +7.3% |
| 1908 | 69.14 births per million people | -1.4% |
| 1909 | 58.42 births per million people | -15.5% |
| 1910 | 59.85 births per million people | +2.4% |
| 1911 | 58.78 births per million people | -1.8% |
| 1912 | 59.6 births per million people | +1.4% |
| 1913 | 64.87 births per million people | +8.8% |
| 1914 | 64.17 births per million people | -1.1% |
| 1915 | 60.21 births per million people | -6.2% |
| 1916 | 72.27 births per million people | +20.0% |
| 1917 | 68.24 births per million people | -5.6% |
| 1918 | 63.91 births per million people | -6.3% |
| 1919 | 74.73 births per million people | +16.9% |
| 1920 | 65 births per million people | -13.0% |
| 1921 | 73.97 births per million people | +13.8% |
| 1922 | 76.1 births per million people | +2.9% |
| 1923 | 72.76 births per million people | -4.4% |
| 1924 | 50.18 births per million people | -31.0% |
| 1925 | 66.51 births per million people | +32.5% |
| 1926 | 71.15 births per million people | +7.0% |
| 1927 | 64.08 births per million people | -9.9% |
| 1928 | 56.07 births per million people | -12.5% |
| 1929 | 54.94 births per million people | -2.0% |
| 1930 | 61.88 births per million people | +12.6% |
| 1931 | 56.45 births per million people | -8.8% |
| 1932 | 58.8 births per million people | +4.2% |
| 1933 | 57.58 births per million people | -2.1% |
| 1934 | 55.17 births per million people | -4.2% |
| 1935 | 56.85 births per million people | +3.0% |
| 1936 | 55.25 births per million people | -2.8% |
| 1937 | 43.07 births per million people | -22.1% |
| 1938 | 52.15 births per million people | +21.1% |
| 1939 | 50.21 births per million people | -3.7% |
| 1940 | 50.47 births per million people | +0.5% |
| 1941 | 61.18 births per million people | +21.2% |
| 1942 | 60.94 births per million people | -0.4% |
| 1943 | 60.5 births per million people | -0.7% |
| 1944 | 79.09 births per million people | +30.7% |
| 1945 | 63.69 births per million people | -19.5% |
| 1946 | 72.52 births per million people | +13.9% |
| 1947 | 70.63 births per million people | -2.6% |
| 1948 | 76.99 births per million people | +9.0% |
| 1949 | 81.55 births per million people | +5.9% |
| 1950 | 76.84 births per million people | -5.8% |
| 1951 | 67.67 births per million people | -11.9% |
| 1952 | 73.94 births per million people | +9.3% |
| 1953 | 72.27 births per million people | -2.3% |
| 1954 | 74.99 births per million people | +3.8% |
| 1955 | 73.98 births per million people | -1.3% |
| 1956 | 74.3 births per million people | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 72.88 births per million people | -1.9% |
| 1958 | 79.4 births per million people | +8.9% |
| 1959 | 76.23 births per million people | -4.0% |
| 1960 | 70.55 births per million people | -7.5% |
| 1961 | 69.01 births per million people | -2.2% |
| 1962 | 63.38 births per million people | -8.2% |
| 1963 | 56.89 births per million people | -10.2% |
| 1964 | 69.46 births per million people | +22.1% |
| 1965 | 57.99 births per million people | -16.5% |
| 1966 | 63.91 births per million people | +10.2% |
| 1967 | 57.11 births per million people | -10.6% |
| 1968 | 56.74 births per million people | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 53.81 births per million people | -5.2% |
| 1970 | 51.98 births per million people | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 52.79 births per million people | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 52.54 births per million people | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 56.07 births per million people | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 46.95 births per million people | -16.3% |
| 1975 | 48.16 births per million people | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 46.3 births per million people | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 46.7 births per million people | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 46.59 births per million people | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 51.65 births per million people | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 49.13 births per million people | -4.9% |
| 1981 | 51.74 births per million people | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 47.17 births per million people | -8.8% |
| 1983 | 42.26 births per million people | -10.4% |
| 1984 | 37.57 births per million people | -11.1% |
| 1985 | 40.51 births per million people | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 39.93 births per million people | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 46.57 births per million people | +16.6% |
| 1988 | 43.34 births per million people | -6.9% |
| 1989 | 44.52 births per million people | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 42.39 births per million people | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 41.04 births per million people | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 43.8 births per million people | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 41.78 births per million people | -4.6% |
| 1994 | 41.23 births per million people | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 38.66 births per million people | -6.2% |
| 1996 | 39.11 births per million people | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 39.47 births per million people | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 36.77 births per million people | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 38.07 births per million people | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 38.87 births per million people | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 30.53 births per million people | -21.4% |
| 2002 | 33.23 births per million people | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 35.88 births per million people | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 35.19 births per million people | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 36.64 births per million people | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 35.2 births per million people | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 37.91 births per million people | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 40.75 births per million people | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 41.72 births per million people | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 43.37 births per million people | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 34.82 births per million people | -19.7% |
| 2012 | 34.39 births per million people | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 33.23 births per million people | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 32.28 births per million people | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 29.41 births per million people | -8.9% |
| 2016 | 27.5 births per million people | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 29.01 births per million people | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 31.48 births per million people | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 31.28 births per million people | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 31.72 births per million people | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 30.81 births per million people | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 26.98 births per million people | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 27.8 births per million people | +3.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 27.8 births per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 23.36 births per million people, 1.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 27.8 births per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23.39 births per million people, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Birth seasonality in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | +57.4% | 55.12 births per million people | 86.76 births per million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 73.94 births per million people | 67.69 births per million people | 80.19 births per million people | 2 |
| 1880s | 69.38 births per million people | 61.43 births per million people | 79.53 births per million people | 10 |
| 1890s | 71.59 births per million people | 55.12 births per million people | 86.76 births per million people | 10 |
| 1900s | 65.06 births per million people | 58.42 births per million people | 70.55 births per million people | 10 |
| 1910s | 64.66 births per million people | 58.78 births per million people | 74.73 births per million people | 10 |
| 1920s | 65.08 births per million people | 50.18 births per million people | 76.1 births per million people | 10 |
| 1930s | 54.74 births per million people | 43.07 births per million people | 61.88 births per million people | 10 |
| 1940s | 67.76 births per million people | 50.47 births per million people | 81.55 births per million people | 10 |
| 1950s | 74.25 births per million people | 67.67 births per million people | 79.4 births per million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 61.88 births per million people | 53.81 births per million people | 70.55 births per million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.97 births per million people | 46.3 births per million people | 56.07 births per million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.27 births per million people | 37.57 births per million people | 51.74 births per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.23 births per million people | 36.77 births per million people | 43.8 births per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.59 births per million people | 30.53 births per million people | 41.72 births per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.68 births per million people | 27.5 births per million people | 43.37 births per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.33 births per million people | 26.98 births per million people | 31.72 births per million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 6 New Zealand 29.85 births per million people compare
- 7 Ukraine 28.56 births per million people compare
- 8 United States 28.43 births per million people compare
- 10 Ireland 27.42 births per million people compare
- 11 Slovakia 27.26 births per million people compare
- 12 Czechia 26.39 births per million people compare
More population data for Iceland
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2688 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 13,661 people (2100)
- Population density 3.6 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6617 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4806 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth seasonality in Iceland?
- Birth seasonality in Iceland was 27.8 births per million people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth seasonality recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 86.76 births per million people in 1895.
- What is the lowest birth seasonality recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.98 births per million people in 2022.
- How does Iceland rank for birth seasonality?
- Iceland ranks 9th out of 40 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth seasonality rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth seasonality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 146 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average daily number of births, per million people, calculated for December.