Statizoid

Number of children under 5 in Iceland

Iceland: Number of children under 5 was 23,233 people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
23,233 people
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
181st
of 236 countries
All-time high
23,563 people
in 2011
All-time low
18,045 people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Number of children under 5 in Iceland, 1950–2023

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2023, number of children under 5 in Iceland stood at 23,233 people.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Iceland peaked at 23,563 people in 2011 and was at its lowest, 18,045 people, in 1950.

That places Iceland 181st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Number of children under 5 in Iceland, year by year

Year people Change
1950 18,045 people —
1951 18,642 people +3.3%
1952 19,101 people +2.5%
1953 19,521 people +2.2%
1954 19,992 people +2.4%
1955 20,436 people +2.2%
1956 20,948 people +2.5%
1957 21,586 people +3.0%
1958 22,097 people +2.4%
1959 22,544 people +2.0%
1960 23,012 people +2.1%
1961 23,237 people +1.0%
1962 23,245 people +0.0%
1963 23,329 people +0.4%
1964 23,399 people +0.3%
1965 23,281 people -0.5%
1966 23,273 people -0.0%
1967 23,247 people -0.1%
1968 22,827 people -1.8%
1969 22,092 people -3.2%
1970 21,244 people -3.8%
1971 20,632 people -2.9%
1972 20,643 people +0.1%
1973 21,058 people +2.0%
1974 21,309 people +1.2%
1975 21,470 people +0.8%
1976 21,535 people +0.3%
1977 21,118 people -1.9%
1978 20,556 people -2.7%
1979 20,526 people -0.1%
1980 20,858 people +1.6%
1981 21,109 people +1.2%
1982 21,473 people +1.7%
1983 21,902 people +2.0%
1984 21,872 people -0.1%
1985 21,294 people -2.6%
1986 20,670 people -2.9%
1987 20,399 people -1.3%
1988 20,561 people +0.8%
1989 20,944 people +1.9%
1990 21,484 people +2.6%
1991 22,207 people +3.4%
1992 22,850 people +2.9%
1993 23,132 people +1.2%
1994 23,094 people -0.2%
1995 22,735 people -1.6%
1996 22,295 people -1.9%
1997 21,967 people -1.5%
1998 21,658 people -1.4%
1999 21,444 people -1.0%
2000 21,424 people -0.1%
2001 21,363 people -0.3%
2002 21,130 people -1.1%
2003 20,987 people -0.7%
2004 20,986 people -0.0%
2005 21,064 people +0.4%
2006 21,274 people +1.0%
2007 21,791 people +2.4%
2008 22,527 people +3.4%
2009 23,100 people +2.5%
2010 23,444 people +1.5%
2011 23,563 people +0.5%
2012 23,502 people -0.3%
2013 23,335 people -0.7%
2014 22,936 people -1.7%
2015 22,284 people -2.8%
2016 21,691 people -2.7%
2017 21,404 people -1.3%
2018 21,271 people -0.6%
2019 21,317 people +0.2%
2020 21,613 people +1.4%
2021 22,268 people +3.0%
2022 22,917 people +2.9%
2023 23,233 people +1.4%

Iceland compared with similar countries

  • Iceland's 23,233 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 18% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Iceland's 23,233 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 308,498 people, 8% of the median. (56 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 20,291 people 18,045 people 22,544 people 10
1960s 23,094 people 22,092 people 23,399 people 10
1970s 21,009 people 20,526 people 21,535 people 10
1980s 21,108 people 20,399 people 21,902 people 10
1990s 22,287 people 21,444 people 23,132 people 10
2000s 21,565 people 20,986 people 23,100 people 10
2010s 22,475 people 21,271 people 23,563 people 10
2020s 22,508 people 21,613 people 23,233 people 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 178 Maldives 30,641 people compare
  2. 179 Macao 29,383 people compare
  3. 180 Samoa 28,284 people compare
  4. 182 Malta 22,280 people compare
  5. 183 Bahamas 21,817 people compare
  6. 184 New Caledonia 20,760 people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children under 5 in Iceland?
Number of children under 5 in Iceland was 23,233 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 23,563 people in 2011.
What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 18,045 people in 1950.
How does Iceland rank for number of children under 5?
Iceland ranks 181st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of children under 5 in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/children-under-age-5/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of children under 5
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.