Urban population in Iceland
Iceland: Urban population was 94.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Iceland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 94.2% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Iceland peaked at 94.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 80.4%, in 1960.
That places Iceland 23rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 80.4% | — |
| 1961 | 81.0% | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 81.5% | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 82.0% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 82.7% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 83.2% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 83.5% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 83.9% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 84.4% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 84.8% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 85.3% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 85.7% | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 86.2% | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 86.5% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 86.9% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 87.7% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 87.9% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 88.1% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 88.3% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 88.6% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 89.1% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 89.3% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 89.6% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 89.8% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 90.1% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 90.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 90.6% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 90.9% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 91.1% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 91.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 91.4% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 91.8% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 92.0% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 91.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 91.8% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 92.0% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 92.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 92.2% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 92.3% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 92.4% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 92.4% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 92.2% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 92.4% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 93.1% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 93.4% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 93.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 93.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 93.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 93.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 93.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 93.7% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 93.8% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 93.8% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 93.9% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 94.0% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 94.1% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 94.2% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 94.2% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 94.2% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 94.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 94.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 82.7% | 80.4% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 86.6% | 85.0% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 89.2% | 88.1% | 90.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.4% | 90.6% | 92.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 92.4% | 92.0% | 93.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.7% | 93.4% | 94.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.2% | 94.1% | 94.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More climate change data for Iceland
- 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)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Iceland?
- Urban population in Iceland was 94.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 94.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.4% in 1960.
- How does Iceland rank for urban population?
- Iceland ranks 23rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.