International tourist departures in Iceland
Iceland: International tourist departures was 219,000 departures in 2021. ▲ Rising
International tourist departures in Iceland, 1995–2021
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in departures.
Analysis
In 2021, international tourist departures in Iceland stood at 219,000 departures.
That represents a change of up 68.5% on the previous year and down 35.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourist departures in Iceland peaked at 668,000 departures in 2018 and was at its lowest, 130,000 departures, in 2020.
Iceland ranks 91st of 112 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
International tourist departures in Iceland, year by year
| Year | departures | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 166,000 departures | — |
| 1996 | 190,000 departures | +14.5% |
| 1997 | 203,000 departures | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 227,000 departures | +11.8% |
| 1999 | 257,000 departures | +13.2% |
| 2000 | 283,000 departures | +10.1% |
| 2005 | 364,000 departures | +28.6% |
| 2006 | 440,000 departures | +20.9% |
| 2007 | 460,000 departures | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 414,000 departures | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 259,000 departures | -37.4% |
| 2010 | 299,000 departures | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 341,000 departures | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 358,000 departures | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 365,000 departures | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 400,000 departures | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 450,000 departures | +12.5% |
| 2016 | 536,000 departures | +19.1% |
| 2017 | 619,000 departures | +15.5% |
| 2018 | 668,000 departures | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 611,000 departures | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 130,000 departures | -78.7% |
| 2021 | 219,000 departures | +68.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 219,000 departures is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.86 million departures, 5% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 219,000 departures is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.98 million departures, 4% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourist departures in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -78.7% | 611,000 departures | 130,000 departures |
| 2021 | +68.5% | 130,000 departures | 219,000 departures |
| 2009 | -37.4% | 414,000 departures | 259,000 departures |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 208,600 departures | 166,000 departures | 257,000 departures | 5 |
| 2000s | 370,000 departures | 259,000 departures | 460,000 departures | 6 |
| 2010s | 464,700 departures | 299,000 departures | 668,000 departures | 10 |
| 2020s | 174,500 departures | 130,000 departures | 219,000 departures | 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 international tourist departures in Iceland?
- International tourist departures in Iceland was 219,000 departures in 2021, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest international tourist departures recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 668,000 departures in 2018.
- What is the lowest international tourist departures recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 130,000 departures in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for international tourist departures?
- Iceland ranks 91st out of 112 countries with data for 2021.
- Is international tourist departures rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of International tourist departures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by country's residents who travel abroad and stay overnight.