Share of population living in rural areas in Iceland
Iceland: Share of population living in rural areas was 24.14 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
24.14
World rank
132nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
55.01
in 1950
All-time low
24.14
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020
Share of population living in rural areas in Iceland, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 24.14 for share of population living in rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Iceland peaked at 55.01 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 24.14, in 2020.
That places Iceland 132nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 55.01 | — |
| 1955 | 52.07 | -5.3% |
| 1960 | 48.93 | -6.0% |
| 1965 | 46.21 | -5.6% |
| 1970 | 44.2 | -4.4% |
| 1975 | 42.41 | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 38.92 | -8.2% |
| 1985 | 37.69 | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 36.4 | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 36.5 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 32.48 | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 29.58 | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 26.26 | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 25.68 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 24.14 | -6.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 24.14 is above the median for high income countries, which is 23.76, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 24.14 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.33, 80% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.54 | 52.07 | 55.01 | 2 |
| 1960s | 47.57 | 46.21 | 48.93 | 2 |
| 1970s | 43.3 | 42.41 | 44.2 | 2 |
| 1980s | 38.31 | 37.69 | 38.92 | 2 |
| 1990s | 36.45 | 36.4 | 36.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.03 | 29.58 | 32.48 | 2 |
| 2010s | 25.97 | 25.68 | 26.26 | 2 |
| 2020s | 24.14 | 24.14 | 24.14 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 129 Kyrgyzstan 24.49 compare
- 130 Liechtenstein 24.48 compare
- 131 Cyprus 24.33 compare
- 133 Switzerland 23.98 compare
- 134 El Salvador 23.93 compare
- 135 Canada 23.76 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)
- Population growth rate -0.502 (2100)
- Population density 3.6 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 13,661 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Iceland?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Iceland was 24.14 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 55.01 in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.14 in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Iceland ranks 132nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).