Annual precipitation in Iceland
Iceland: Annual precipitation was 1,409 millimeters in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1,409 millimeters
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
57th
of 192 countries
All-time high
1,801 millimeters
in 1953
All-time low
987.92 millimeters
in 1965
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Annual precipitation in Iceland, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 1,409 millimeters for annual precipitation in 2025.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in Iceland peaked at 1,801 millimeters in 1953 and was at its lowest, 987.92 millimeters, in 1965.
Iceland ranks 57th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 86 years of available data.
Annual precipitation in Iceland, year by year
| Year | millimeters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1,220 millimeters | — |
| 1941 | 1,166 millimeters | -4.4% |
| 1942 | 1,306 millimeters | +12.0% |
| 1943 | 1,382 millimeters | +5.9% |
| 1944 | 1,273 millimeters | -7.9% |
| 1945 | 1,252 millimeters | -1.7% |
| 1946 | 1,384 millimeters | +10.6% |
| 1947 | 1,314 millimeters | -5.1% |
| 1948 | 1,314 millimeters | -0.0% |
| 1949 | 1,314 millimeters | -0.0% |
| 1950 | 1,402 millimeters | +6.7% |
| 1951 | 1,323 millimeters | -5.6% |
| 1952 | 1,208 millimeters | -8.7% |
| 1953 | 1,801 millimeters | +49.1% |
| 1954 | 1,344 millimeters | -25.4% |
| 1955 | 1,219 millimeters | -9.3% |
| 1956 | 1,552 millimeters | +27.3% |
| 1957 | 1,319 millimeters | -15.0% |
| 1958 | 1,203 millimeters | -8.8% |
| 1959 | 1,620 millimeters | +34.7% |
| 1960 | 1,196 millimeters | -26.2% |
| 1961 | 1,432 millimeters | +19.8% |
| 1962 | 1,248 millimeters | -12.9% |
| 1963 | 1,265 millimeters | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 1,269 millimeters | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 987.92 millimeters | -22.2% |
| 1966 | 1,182 millimeters | +19.6% |
| 1967 | 1,330 millimeters | +12.6% |
| 1968 | 1,273 millimeters | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 1,345 millimeters | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 1,271 millimeters | -5.5% |
| 1971 | 1,423 millimeters | +11.9% |
| 1972 | 1,666 millimeters | +17.0% |
| 1973 | 1,421 millimeters | -14.7% |
| 1974 | 1,585 millimeters | +11.5% |
| 1975 | 1,387 millimeters | -12.5% |
| 1976 | 1,488 millimeters | +7.3% |
| 1977 | 1,206 millimeters | -18.9% |
| 1978 | 1,263 millimeters | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 1,255 millimeters | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 1,238 millimeters | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 1,289 millimeters | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 1,429 millimeters | +10.8% |
| 1983 | 1,484 millimeters | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 1,400 millimeters | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 1,120 millimeters | -20.0% |
| 1986 | 1,395 millimeters | +24.5% |
| 1987 | 1,301 millimeters | -6.7% |
| 1988 | 1,282 millimeters | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 1,542 millimeters | +20.3% |
| 1990 | 1,415 millimeters | -8.2% |
| 1991 | 1,602 millimeters | +13.2% |
| 1992 | 1,644 millimeters | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 1,429 millimeters | -13.1% |
| 1994 | 1,420 millimeters | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1,279 millimeters | -9.9% |
| 1996 | 1,274 millimeters | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 1,467 millimeters | +15.1% |
| 1998 | 1,388 millimeters | -5.4% |
| 1999 | 1,345 millimeters | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 1,283 millimeters | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 1,351 millimeters | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 1,516 millimeters | +12.2% |
| 2003 | 1,500 millimeters | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 1,516 millimeters | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1,323 millimeters | -12.8% |
| 2006 | 1,529 millimeters | +15.5% |
| 2007 | 1,549 millimeters | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 1,352 millimeters | -12.7% |
| 2009 | 1,430 millimeters | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 1,123 millimeters | -21.5% |
| 2011 | 1,515 millimeters | +34.8% |
| 2012 | 1,425 millimeters | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 1,438 millimeters | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1,573 millimeters | +9.4% |
| 2015 | 1,610 millimeters | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 1,372 millimeters | -14.8% |
| 2017 | 1,489 millimeters | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 1,630 millimeters | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 1,360 millimeters | -16.6% |
| 2020 | 1,578 millimeters | +16.0% |
| 2021 | 1,338 millimeters | -15.2% |
| 2022 | 1,546 millimeters | +15.5% |
| 2023 | 1,322 millimeters | -14.5% |
| 2024 | 1,347 millimeters | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 1,409 millimeters | +4.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1,409 millimeters is above the median for high income countries, which is 891.63 millimeters, 1.6× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1,409 millimeters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 765.92 millimeters, 1.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1,292 millimeters | 1,166 millimeters | 1,384 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 1,399 millimeters | 1,203 millimeters | 1,801 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,253 millimeters | 987.92 millimeters | 1,432 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,396 millimeters | 1,206 millimeters | 1,666 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,348 millimeters | 1,120 millimeters | 1,542 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,426 millimeters | 1,274 millimeters | 1,644 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,435 millimeters | 1,283 millimeters | 1,549 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,453 millimeters | 1,123 millimeters | 1,630 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,423 millimeters | 1,322 millimeters | 1,578 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 54 Madagascar 1,465 millimeters compare
- 55 Rwanda 1,416 millimeters compare
- 56 Chile 1,415 millimeters compare
- 58 India 1,404 millimeters compare
- 59 Trinidad and Tobago 1,391 millimeters compare
- 60 Democratic Republic of Congo 1,383 millimeters compare
More climate change data for Iceland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 16.80 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 462.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 110.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 352.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 12.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3504 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in Iceland?
- Annual precipitation in Iceland was 1,409 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 1,801 millimeters in 1953.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 987.92 millimeters in 1965.
- How does Iceland rank for annual precipitation?
- Iceland ranks 57th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.