Population in Iceland

Iceland: Population was 387,559 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
387,559 people
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
178th
of 238 countries
All-time high
387,559 people
in 2023
All-time low
49,538 people
in 1700
Years of data
241
1000–2023

Population in Iceland, 1000–2023

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k100015112023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for population in Iceland is 387,559 people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 241 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in Iceland peaked at 387,559 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 49,538 people, in 1700.

That places Iceland 178th out of 238 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 50,000 people 50,000 people 50,000 people 1
1100s 70,000 people 70,000 people 70,000 people 1
1200s 70,000 people 70,000 people 70,000 people 1
1300s 70,000 people 70,000 people 70,000 people 1
1400s 60,000 people 60,000 people 60,000 people 1
1500s 60,000 people 60,000 people 60,000 people 1
1600s 50,000 people 50,000 people 50,000 people 1
1700s 49,538 people 49,538 people 49,538 people 1
1710s 50,548 people 50,548 people 50,548 people 1
1720s 51,580 people 51,580 people 51,580 people 1
1730s 52,633 people 52,633 people 52,633 people 1
1740s 53,707 people 53,707 people 53,707 people 1
1750s 54,803 people 54,803 people 54,803 people 1
1760s 55,921 people 55,921 people 55,921 people 1
1770s 57,063 people 57,063 people 57,063 people 1
1780s 58,227 people 58,227 people 58,227 people 1
1790s 59,416 people 59,416 people 59,416 people 1
1800s 61,428 people 61,428 people 61,428 people 10
1810s 61,423 people 61,382 people 61,428 people 10
1820s 60,388 people 59,395 people 61,291 people 10
1830s 58,197 people 57,296 people 59,173 people 10
1840s 57,939 people 57,247 people 58,908 people 10
1850s 62,538 people 59,333 people 66,009 people 10
1860s 68,223 people 66,623 people 69,579 people 10
1870s 70,757 people 69,835 people 71,588 people 10
1880s 71,363 people 71,005 people 71,679 people 10
1890s 73,931 people 71,259 people 77,048 people 10
1900s 82,104 people 77,854 people 86,567 people 10
1910s 91,988 people 87,565 people 96,495 people 10
1920s 102,370 people 97,534 people 107,337 people 10
1930s 113,774 people 108,477 people 119,333 people 10
1940s 130,051 people 120,892 people 140,059 people 10
1950s 156,502 people 142,684 people 172,008 people 10
1960s 190,329 people 175,572 people 203,383 people 10
1970s 215,694 people 204,489 people 225,765 people 10
1980s 240,230 people 228,147 people 252,861 people 10
1990s 266,282 people 254,842 people 277,450 people 10
2000s 298,428 people 281,293 people 318,619 people 10
2010s 333,320 people 318,163 people 360,709 people 10
2020s 376,800 people 366,626 people 387,559 people 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 175 Brunei 458,959 people compare
  2. 176 Belize 411,112 people compare
  3. 177 Bahamas 399,452 people compare
  4. 181 Vanuatu 320,422 people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in Iceland?
Population in Iceland was 387,559 people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 387,559 people in 2023.
What is the lowest population recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 49,538 people in 1700.
How does Iceland rank for population?
Iceland ranks 178th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
Is population rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Population
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.