Average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland
Iceland: Average length of stay of international visitors was 1.65 days in 2021. ▼ Falling
Average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland, 1997–2021
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in days.
Analysis
In 2021, average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland stood at 1.65 days.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland peaked at 1.86 days in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.62 days, in 2019.
That places Iceland 142nd out of 152 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1.66 days | — |
| 1998 | 1.86 days | +12.0% |
| 1999 | 1.85 days | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.86 days | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 1.85 days | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.8 days | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.8 days | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.74 days | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 1.78 days | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 1.77 days | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.74 days | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 1.71 days | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 1.72 days | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.68 days | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 1.64 days | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 1.62 days | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.7 days | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 1.65 days | -2.9% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.65 days is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.6 days, 63% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1.65 days is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.29 days, 72% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.79 days | 1.66 days | 1.86 days | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.81 days | 1.8 days | 1.86 days | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.72 days | 1.62 days | 1.8 days | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.67 days | 1.65 days | 1.7 days | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More reference data data for Iceland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0288 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0708 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0964 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2576 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland?
- Average length of stay of international visitors in Iceland was 1.65 days in 2021, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average length of stay of international visitors recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.86 days in 1998.
- What is the lowest average length of stay of international visitors recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.62 days in 2019.
- How does Iceland rank for average length of stay of international visitors?
- Iceland ranks 142nd out of 152 countries with data for 2021.
- Is average length of stay of international visitors rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Average length of stay of international visitors. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of days tourists stay in hotels and similar accommodation establishments.