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 166th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
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
- 163 Cape Verde 409,364 compare
- 164 Montenegro 408,826 compare
- 165 East Timor 408,340 compare
- 167 Brunei 349,799 compare
- 168 Bhutan 346,000 compare
- 169 Eswatini 335,667 compare
More climate change data for Iceland
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 392,404 (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 94.2% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.29 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.2% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 20.9% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 2.9% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.5% (2025)
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 166th out of 215 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.