Rural population growth in Iceland
Iceland: Rural population growth was 0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Iceland, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population growth in Iceland is 0.9%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 400.6% on the previous year and up 233.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Iceland peaked at 5.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, -7.8%, in 2008.
That places Iceland 57th out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.2% | -1.8% | -0.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | -1.3% | -1.7% | -0.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.2% | -1.6% | -0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.7% | -2.0% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.8% | -7.8% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | -1.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | -1.1% | 3.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 5.8% (2025)
- Rural population 22,689 (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.41 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 3,160 hectares (2023)
- Cereal yield 2,430 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal production 7,679 metric tons (2023)
- Fertilizer consumption 97.29 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Iceland?
- Rural population growth in Iceland was 0.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was -7.8% in 2008.
- How does Iceland rank for rural population growth?
- Iceland ranks 57th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 233.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.