Divorce rate in Iceland
Iceland: Divorce rate was 1.9 per 1,000 people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
1.9 per 1,000 people
World rank
11th
of 43 countries
All-time high
2.2 per 1,000 people
in 1985
All-time low
0.7 per 1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
53
1960–2020
Divorce rate in Iceland, 1960–2020
Source: OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 1.9 per 1,000 people for divorce rate in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, divorce rate in Iceland peaked at 2.2 per 1,000 people in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.7 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
That places Iceland 11th out of 43 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Divorce rate in Iceland, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.7 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 0.9 per 1,000 people | +28.6% |
| 1962 | 0.7 per 1,000 people | -22.2% |
| 1963 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +57.1% |
| 1964 | 0.9 per 1,000 people | -18.2% |
| 1965 | 0.9 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 per 1,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1967 | 0.9 per 1,000 people | -10.0% |
| 1968 | 1 per 1,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1969 | 1.3 per 1,000 people | +30.0% |
| 1970 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | -7.7% |
| 1971 | 1.5 per 1,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1972 | 1.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.6 per 1,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +5.9% |
| 1976 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +11.8% |
| 1981 | 2 per 1,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | -10.0% |
| 1983 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1984 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | -9.5% |
| 1985 | 2.2 per 1,000 people | +15.8% |
| 1986 | 2 per 1,000 people | -9.1% |
| 1987 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1989 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | -9.5% |
| 1991 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | +10.5% |
| 1992 | 2 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | -10.0% |
| 1995 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 per 1,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1997 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 2000 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +11.8% |
| 2001 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.6 per 1,000 people | -15.8% |
| 2007 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 1.6 per 1,000 people | -11.1% |
| 2020 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +18.7% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.9 per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.76 per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1.9 per 1,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.8 per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.94 per 1,000 people | 0.7 per 1,000 people | 1.3 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.63 per 1,000 people | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 1.8 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.97 per 1,000 people | 1.8 per 1,000 people | 2.2 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 1.7 per 1,000 people | 2.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.79 per 1,000 people | 1.6 per 1,000 people | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7 per 1,000 people | 1.6 per 1,000 people | 1.8 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 1.9 per 1,000 people | 1 |
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 divorce rate in Iceland?
- Divorce rate in Iceland was 1.9 per 1,000 people in 2020, according to OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest divorce rate recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2 per 1,000 people in 1985.
- What is the lowest divorce rate recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Iceland rank for divorce rate?
- Iceland ranks 11th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is divorce rate rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Divorce rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of divorces during a given year per 1,000 people.