Comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland
Iceland: Comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children was 1.54 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.54 live births per woman
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
160th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.26 live births per woman
in 1960
All-time low
1.54 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland stood at 1.54 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland peaked at 4.26 live births per woman in 1960 and was at its lowest, 1.54 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Iceland 160th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.85 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.72 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1952 | 3.79 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 3.93 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1954 | 3.91 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 4.04 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1956 | 4.11 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 4.17 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1958 | 4.07 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1959 | 4.21 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1960 | 4.26 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 3.91 live births per woman | -8.1% |
| 1962 | 3.98 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 3.98 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 3.87 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1965 | 3.72 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 3.58 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1967 | 3.28 live births per woman | -8.3% |
| 1968 | 3.06 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1969 | 2.98 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 2.81 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1971 | 2.92 live births per woman | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 3.08 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 2.94 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1974 | 2.66 live births per woman | -9.5% |
| 1975 | 2.64 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 2.52 live births per woman | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 2.32 live births per woman | -8.0% |
| 1978 | 2.35 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 2.49 live births per woman | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 2.48 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 2.34 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 2.27 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 2.25 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 2.08 live births per woman | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 1.94 live births per woman | -6.8% |
| 1986 | 1.94 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 2.07 live births per woman | +6.9% |
| 1988 | 2.26 live births per woman | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 2.3 live births per woman | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 2.2 live births per woman | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 2.21 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 2.22 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 2.14 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 2.08 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 2 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 2.07 live births per woman | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.96 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 1.94 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.99 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 2.04 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 2.05 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 2.08 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.09 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 2.16 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 2.23 live births per woman | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 2.19 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 2.02 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 2.03 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.94 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.93 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.81 live births per woman | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 1.74 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 1.71 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.74 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 1.82 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 1.59 live births per woman | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 1.54 live births per woman | -3.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.54 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1.54 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.98 live births per woman | 3.72 live births per woman | 4.21 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.66 live births per woman | 2.98 live births per woman | 4.26 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.67 live births per woman | 2.32 live births per woman | 3.08 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.18 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 2.48 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.14 live births per woman | 2 live births per woman | 2.3 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.06 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 2.23 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 2.19 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.67 live births per woman | 1.54 live births per woman | 1.82 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 158 Malaysia 1.55 live births per woman compare
- 159 Isle of Man 1.55 live births per woman compare
- 161 Liechtenstein 1.54 live births per woman compare
- 162 Trinidad and Tobago 1.53 live births per woman compare
- 163 Cayman Islands 1.53 live births per woman compare
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 comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland?
- Comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children in Iceland was 1.54 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.26 live births per woman in 1960.
- What is the lowest comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.54 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children?
- Iceland ranks 160th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Comparison of fertility rates that account for survival of children. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.