Share of population living in urban areas in Iceland
Iceland: Share of population living in urban areas was 75.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Iceland, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Iceland is 75.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Iceland peaked at 75.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 45.0%, in 1950.
Iceland ranks 105th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.0% | — |
| 1955 | 47.9% | +6.5% |
| 1960 | 51.1% | +6.6% |
| 1965 | 53.8% | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 55.8% | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 57.6% | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 61.1% | +6.1% |
| 1985 | 62.3% | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 63.6% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 63.5% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 67.5% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 70.4% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 73.7% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 74.3% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 75.9% | +2.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 75.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 99% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 75.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.7%, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.5% | 45.0% | 47.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 52.4% | 51.1% | 53.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 56.7% | 55.8% | 57.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 61.7% | 61.1% | 62.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 63.6% | 63.5% | 63.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 69.0% | 67.5% | 70.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 74.0% | 73.7% | 74.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 75.9% | 75.9% | 75.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 102 Canada 76.2% compare
- 103 El Salvador 76.1% compare
- 104 Switzerland 76.0% compare
- 106 Cyprus 75.7% compare
- 107 Liechtenstein 75.5% compare
- 108 Kyrgyzstan 75.5% compare
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 share of population living in urban areas in Iceland?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Iceland was 75.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 75.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.0% in 1950.
- How does Iceland rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Iceland ranks 105th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.