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

0.511.52196019902020

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 9 Denmark 2.08 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 10 Finland 2 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 11 Czechia 1.9 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 11 Estonia 1.9 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 11 France 1.9 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 43 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

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

Indicator
Divorce rate
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
OECD (2025) and other sources – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
43 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2022
Last refreshed

Number of divorces during a given year per 1,000 people.