Population and Demographics of Iceland
An aging population · 15.65% aged 65 or older in 2024
Children under 15 make up 17.76% of Iceland's population, compared with 15.65% aged 65 or older. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 39.9% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 433 thousand, 10.1% higher than in 2024.
Population Over Time in Iceland
Since 2000, Iceland's population has grown from 0.281M to 0.393M, a net shift of about 0.11 million. Looking ahead, the medium projection points to 0.433M in 2050, 10.1% higher than the 2024 level. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The balance between children, working-age adults and older residents gives Iceland a maturing age profile. Children under 15 account for 17.76% of residents, people 65+ for 15.65%, and the 15 to 64 group for 66.59%. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Iceland a female share of 48.8% and a male share of 51.2%. Males exceed females by 2.4 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Males made up 51.2% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48.8% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Iceland pairs a 2024 annual population rate of +1.51% with fertility of 1.5, with younger residents at 17.76% and older residents at 15.65% of the total.
Over the longer record, Iceland changed +39.9% from 2000 to 2024, with a further +10.1% indicated under the 2050 medium scenario; births, deaths and migration are not apportioned here without a dedicated component series.
2024 estimate for Iceland. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Iceland vs. World
The world comparison highlights three contrasts for Iceland. Annual change is +1.51% versus +0.87% globally, fertility is 1.5 versus 2.25, and median age is 36 versus 30.6 years.
| Indicator | Iceland | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +1.51% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.5 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 36 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The comparison is intentionally narrow: each row uses the 2024 country table and its matching world value rather than mixing sources or observation years.
Key Takeaways
Iceland has 393,396 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +1.51% over the year.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 17.76% are under 15 and 15.65% are 65 or older.
Females make up 48.8% of the 2024 population in the World Bank indicator, with males at 51.2%.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 0.433M, a +10.1% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Iceland?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Iceland is 393,396 people.
Is the population of Iceland growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Iceland's population is growing, with annual change of +1.51%.
What percentage of the population of Iceland is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 15.65% of Iceland's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Iceland in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Iceland's 2050 population at 432,993.
What is the fertility rate in Iceland?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Iceland is 1.5 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.