Share of births outside marriage in Iceland

Iceland: Share of births outside marriage was 69.4 in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
69.4
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
4th
of 42 countries
All-time high
71.2
in 2017
All-time low
24.5
in 1962
Years of data
57
1960–2019

Share of births outside marriage in Iceland, 1960–2019

203040506070196019892019

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of births outside marriage in Iceland is 69.4, measured in 2019.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Iceland peaked at 71.2 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 24.5, in 1962.

That places Iceland 4th out of 42 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.

Share of births outside marriage in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Share of births outside marriage in Iceland, 1960 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1960 25.3
1961 25.3 +0.0%
1962 24.5 -3.2%
1963 25.1 +2.4%
1964 26.7 +6.4%
1965 26.9 +0.7%
1966 28.4 +5.6%
1967 30 +5.6%
1968 30.5 +1.7%
1969 29.6 -3.0%
1970 29.9 +1.0%
1971 31.1 +4.0%
1972 32.3 +3.9%
1973 33.9 +5.0%
1974 33.7 -0.6%
1975 33 -2.1%
1976 34.2 +3.6%
1977 36 +5.3%
1978 36.7 +1.9%
1979 36.6 -0.3%
1980 39.7 +8.5%
1981 41.2 +3.8%
1982 44.6 +8.3%
1983 45 +0.9%
1984 47.1 +4.7%
1985 48 +1.9%
1986 50.8 +5.8%
1987 50.1 -1.4%
1988 52 +3.8%
1989 52.9 +1.7%
1990 55.2 +4.3%
1991 56.4 +2.2%
1992 57.3 +1.6%
1993 58.3 +1.7%
1994 59.6 +2.2%
1995 60.9 +2.2%
1996 60.7 -0.3%
1997 65.2 +7.4%
1998 64 -1.8%
1999 62.4 -2.5%
2000 65.2 +4.5%
2001 63 -3.4%
2002 62.3 -1.1%
2003 63.6 +2.1%
2004 63.7 +0.2%
2005 65.7 +3.1%
2006 65.6 -0.2%
2007 63.8 -2.7%
2008 64.1 +0.5%
2009 64.4 +0.5%
2010 64.3 -0.2%
2011 65 +1.1%
2012 66.9 +2.9%
2016 69.6 +4.0%
2017 71.2 +2.3%
2018 70.5 -1.0%
2019 69.4 -1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 27.23 24.5 30.5 10
1970s 33.74 29.9 36.7 10
1980s 47.14 39.7 52.9 10
1990s 60 55.2 65.2 10
2000s 64.14 62.3 65.7 10
2010s 68.13 64.3 71.2 7

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 1 Chile 75.08 compare
  2. 2 Costa Rica 72.53 compare
  3. 3 Mexico 70.43 compare
  4. 5 France 62.2 compare
  5. 6 Bulgaria 59.6 compare
  6. 7 Norway 58.5 compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More population data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of births outside marriage in Iceland?
Share of births outside marriage in Iceland was 69.4 in 2019, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 71.2 in 2017.
What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 24.5 in 1962.
How does Iceland rank for share of births outside marriage?
Iceland ranks 4th out of 42 countries with data for 2019.
Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of births outside marriage in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-births-outside-marriage/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of births outside marriage
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2021
Last refreshed