Urban population in Iceland
Iceland: Urban population was 369,715 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Iceland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Iceland stood at 369,715. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Iceland peaked at 369,715 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 141,077, in 1960.
Iceland ranks 168th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 141,077 | — |
| 1961 | 144,983 | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 148,705 | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 152,282 | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 156,196 | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 159,959 | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 163,377 | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 166,749 | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 170,054 | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 172,362 | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 173,856 | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 175,854 | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 179,326 | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 183,011 | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 186,148 | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 189,336 | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 191,930 | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 193,933 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 195,976 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 198,373 | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 200,960 | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 203,855 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 207,219 | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 210,640 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 213,458 | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 215,648 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 217,781 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 220,850 | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 225,070 | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 228,572 | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 230,887 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 234,340 | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 237,942 | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 240,771 | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 243,275 | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 245,108 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 246,973 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 249,489 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 251,235 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 254,669 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 258,617 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 262,299 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 265,002 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 267,296 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 269,987 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 274,115 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 280,072 | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 287,767 | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 295,400 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 297,619 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 297,237 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 297,994 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 299,917 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 303,097 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 306,498 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 310,066 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 314,582 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 322,013 | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 331,038 | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 338,847 | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 344,976 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 350,954 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 359,765 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 363,109 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 364,019 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 369,715 | +1.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 369,715 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 16% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 369,715 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.59 million, 10% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 157,574 | 141,077 | 172,362 | 10 |
| 1970s | 186,774 | 173,856 | 198,373 | 10 |
| 1980s | 214,405 | 200,960 | 228,572 | 10 |
| 1990s | 243,469 | 230,887 | 254,669 | 10 |
| 2000s | 275,817 | 258,617 | 297,619 | 10 |
| 2010s | 312,129 | 297,237 | 338,847 | 10 |
| 2020s | 358,756 | 344,976 | 369,715 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 165 Cape Verde 409,364 compare
- 166 Montenegro 408,826 compare
- 167 East Timor 408,340 compare
- 169 Brunei 349,799 compare
- 170 Bhutan 346,000 compare
- 171 Eswatini 335,667 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 urban population in Iceland?
- Urban population in Iceland was 369,715 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 369,715 in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 141,077 in 1960.
- How does Iceland rank for urban population?
- Iceland ranks 168th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.2%. 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. 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.