Rural population in Iceland
Iceland: Rural population was 5.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Iceland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 5.8% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Iceland peaked at 19.6% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 5.8%, in 2025.
Iceland ranks 195th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 19.6% | — |
| 1961 | 19.0% | -3.2% |
| 1962 | 18.5% | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 18.0% | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 17.3% | -3.5% |
| 1965 | 16.8% | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 16.5% | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 16.1% | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 15.6% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 15.2% | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 15.0% | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 14.7% | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 14.3% | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 13.8% | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 13.5% | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 13.1% | -2.7% |
| 1976 | 12.8% | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 12.6% | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 12.3% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 12.1% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 11.9% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 11.7% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 11.4% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 11.1% | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 10.7% | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 10.2% | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 9.9% | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 9.6% | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 9.4% | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 9.1% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 8.9% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 8.7% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 8.6% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 8.4% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 8.3% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 8.2% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 8.0% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 8.0% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 7.8% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 7.7% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 7.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 7.8% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 6.5% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 5.9% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 5.8% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 5.8% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.3% | 15.2% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.4% | 12.1% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.8% | 9.6% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.6% | 8.0% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 6.6% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 6.0% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Iceland?
- Rural population in Iceland was 5.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.6% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.8% in 2025.
- How does Iceland rank for rural population?
- Iceland ranks 195th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.