Population density in Iceland

Iceland: Population density was 3.6 people per km² in 2100. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2100)
3.6 people per km²
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
230th
of 234 countries
All-time high
4.29 people per km²
in 2049
All-time low
0.4913 people per km²
in 1700
Years of data
318
1000–2100

Population density in Iceland, 1000–2100

01234100015502100

Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024); UN FAO (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people per km².

Analysis

The most recent figure for population density in Iceland is 3.6 people per km², measured in 2100.

The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population density in Iceland peaked at 4.29 people per km² in 2049 and was at its lowest, 0.4913 people per km², in 1700.

Iceland ranks 230th of 234 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.4959 people per km² 0.4959 people per km² 0.4959 people per km² 1
1100s 0.6942 people per km² 0.6942 people per km² 0.6942 people per km² 1
1200s 0.6942 people per km² 0.6942 people per km² 0.6942 people per km² 1
1300s 0.6942 people per km² 0.6942 people per km² 0.6942 people per km² 1
1400s 0.5951 people per km² 0.5951 people per km² 0.5951 people per km² 1
1500s 0.5951 people per km² 0.5951 people per km² 0.5951 people per km² 1
1600s 0.4959 people per km² 0.4959 people per km² 0.4959 people per km² 1
1700s 0.4913 people per km² 0.4913 people per km² 0.4913 people per km² 1
1710s 0.5013 people per km² 0.5013 people per km² 0.5013 people per km² 1
1720s 0.5116 people per km² 0.5116 people per km² 0.5116 people per km² 1
1730s 0.522 people per km² 0.522 people per km² 0.522 people per km² 1
1740s 0.5326 people per km² 0.5326 people per km² 0.5326 people per km² 1
1750s 0.5435 people per km² 0.5435 people per km² 0.5435 people per km² 1
1760s 0.5546 people per km² 0.5546 people per km² 0.5546 people per km² 1
1770s 0.5659 people per km² 0.5659 people per km² 0.5659 people per km² 1
1780s 0.5775 people per km² 0.5775 people per km² 0.5775 people per km² 1
1790s 0.5893 people per km² 0.5893 people per km² 0.5893 people per km² 1
1800s 0.6092 people per km² 0.6092 people per km² 0.6092 people per km² 10
1810s 0.6092 people per km² 0.6088 people per km² 0.6092 people per km² 10
1820s 0.5989 people per km² 0.5891 people per km² 0.6079 people per km² 10
1830s 0.5772 people per km² 0.5682 people per km² 0.5869 people per km² 10
1840s 0.5746 people per km² 0.5678 people per km² 0.5842 people per km² 10
1850s 0.6202 people per km² 0.5884 people per km² 0.6547 people per km² 10
1860s 0.6766 people per km² 0.6607 people per km² 0.6901 people per km² 10
1870s 0.7017 people per km² 0.6926 people per km² 0.71 people per km² 10
1880s 0.7078 people per km² 0.7042 people per km² 0.7109 people per km² 10
1890s 0.7332 people per km² 0.7067 people per km² 0.7641 people per km² 10
1900s 0.8143 people per km² 0.7721 people per km² 0.8585 people per km² 10
1910s 0.9123 people per km² 0.8684 people per km² 0.957 people per km² 10
1920s 1.02 people per km² 0.9673 people per km² 1.06 people per km² 10
1930s 1.13 people per km² 1.08 people per km² 1.18 people per km² 10
1940s 1.29 people per km² 1.2 people per km² 1.39 people per km² 10
1950s 1.55 people per km² 1.42 people per km² 1.71 people per km² 10
1960s 1.89 people per km² 1.74 people per km² 2.02 people per km² 10
1970s 2.14 people per km² 2.03 people per km² 2.24 people per km² 10
1980s 2.38 people per km² 2.26 people per km² 2.51 people per km² 10
1990s 2.64 people per km² 2.53 people per km² 2.75 people per km² 10
2000s 2.96 people per km² 2.79 people per km² 3.16 people per km² 10
2010s 3.31 people per km² 3.16 people per km² 3.58 people per km² 10
2020s 3.9 people per km² 3.64 people per km² 4.08 people per km² 10
2030s 4.19 people per km² 4.11 people per km² 4.25 people per km² 10
2040s 4.28 people per km² 4.26 people per km² 4.29 people per km² 10
2050s 4.28 people per km² 4.27 people per km² 4.29 people per km² 10
2060s 4.22 people per km² 4.17 people per km² 4.26 people per km² 10
2070s 4.09 people per km² 4.02 people per km² 4.16 people per km² 10
2080s 3.9 people per km² 3.81 people per km² 4 people per km² 10
2090s 3.7 people per km² 3.61 people per km² 3.79 people per km² 10
2100s 3.6 people per km² 3.6 people per km² 3.6 people per km² 1

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 227 Libya 5.56 people per km² compare
  2. 228 Suriname 4.54 people per km² compare
  3. 229 Guyana 4.52 people per km² compare
  4. 231 Mongolia 3.54 people per km² compare
  5. 232 Western Sahara 3.13 people per km² compare
  6. 233 Falkland Islands 0.1862 people per km² compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More population data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is population density in Iceland?
Population density in Iceland was 3.6 people per km² in 2100, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024); UN FAO (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population density recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 4.29 people per km² in 2049.
What is the lowest population density recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4913 people per km² in 1700.
How does Iceland rank for population density?
Iceland ranks 230th out of 234 countries with data for 2100.
Is population density rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024); UN FAO (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population density. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Population density
Unit
people per km²
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024); UN FAO (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
235 places, 68,610 data points, 1000–2100
Last refreshed

Population per square kilometer by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2100, based on data and estimates from different sources.