Background: Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althingi, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. The economy is now on an upward trajectory, fueled primarily by a tourism and construction boom. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.

Geographic coordinates: 65 00 N, 18 00 W

Map reference: Arctic Region

Area
Total: 103,000 km²
Land: 100,250 km²
Water: 2,750 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; about the same size as Kentucky

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 4,970 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Elevation
Highest point: Hvannadalshnukur (at Vatnajokull Glacier) 2,110 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 557 m

Natural resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use
Agricultural land: 18.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 17.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Other: 81% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0.5 km² (2020)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 200 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 300,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 170 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity

Geography
Note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

Population
Distribution: Iceland is almost entirely urban with half of the population located in and around the capital of Reykjavik; smaller clusters are primarily found along the coast in the north and west: 360,872 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.89% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 8.8% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Icelander(s)
Adjective: Icelandic

Ethnic groups: Icelandic 81.3%, Polish 5.6%, Danish 1%, other 12.1% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent population by country of birth

Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 62.3%, Roman Catholic 4%, Independent Congregation of Reykjavik 2.7%, Independent Congregation of Hafnarfjordur 2%, pagan worship 1.4%, Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association 1.1%, other (includes Zuist and Pentecostal) or unspecified 19%, none 7.6% (2021 est.)

Demographic profile: Iceland is one of the most gender-equal countries in the world. Its welfare policies enable both men and women to balance work and family life. Iceland lagged its Nordic neighbors in introducing new childcare policies, and even when they did in the 1990s, parents still faced a childcare gap between the paid parental leave period and the start of pre-school. The female labor participation rate continued to grow from the 1960s to the 2000s, as women’s educational attainment increased. Icelanders are marrying later, if they marry at all, and people are having children later. The interval between births has decreased. Non-marital cohabitation and childbearing outside of marriage are common. Approximately 2 out of 3 children are born out of wedlock, which is among the highest in Europe. Iceland’s total fertility rate (TFR) has been fairly stable, hovering around replacement level (2.1 children per woman), for decades - a rate higher even than its Nordic neighbors. 

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.98% (male 36,771/female 35,314)
15-64 years: 63.39% (male 115,547/female 113,212)
65 years and over: 16.63% (2023 est.) (male 28,410/female 31,618)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.5
Youth dependency ratio: 28
Elderly dependency ratio: 22.5
Potential support ratio: 4.5 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 37.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 37.2 years
Female: 38.4 years

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 12.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: Iceland is almost entirely urban with half of the population located in and around the capital of Reykjavik; smaller clusters are primarily found along the coast in the north and west

Urbanization
Urban population: 94% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 216,000 REYKJAVIK (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 5.79 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.06 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 0.59 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 28.7 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 1.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 1.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 1.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 81.6 years
Female: 86.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 9.6% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 4.14 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Hospital bed density: 2.8 beds/1,000 population (2019)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.9% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 7.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 4.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 2.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 12% (2020 est.)
Male: 11.9% (2020 est.)
Female: 12% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 7.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 19 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 21 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 13.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 13.7%

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Iceland
Local long form: none
Local short form: Island
Etymology: Floki VILGERDARSON, an early Norse explorer of the island (9th century), applied the name "Land of Ice" after spotting a fjord full of drift ice to the north and spending a bitter winter on the island; he eventually settled on the island, however, after he saw how it greened up in the summer and that it was, in fact, habitable

Government type: unitary parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Reykjavik
Geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name means "smoky bay" in Icelandic and refers to the steamy, smoke-like vapors discharged by hot springs in the area

Administrative divisions: 64 municipalities (sveitarfelog, singular - sveitarfelagidh); Akranes, Akureyri, Arneshreppur, Asahreppur, Blaskogabyggdh, Bolungarvik, Borgarbyggdh, Dalabyggdh, Dalvikurbyggdh, Eyjafjardharsveit, Eyja-og Miklaholtshreppur, Fjallabyggdh, Fjardhabyggdh, Fljotsdalshreppur, Floahreppur, Gardhabaer, Grimsnes-og Grafningshreppur, Grindavikurbaer, Grundarfjardharbaer, Grytubakkahreppur, Hafnarfjordhur, Horgarsveit, Hrunamannahreppur, Hunathing Vestra, Hunabyggdh, Hvalfjardharsveit, Hveragerdhi, Isafjardharbaer, Kaldrananeshreppur, Kjosarhreppur, Kopavogur, Langanesbyggdh, Mosfellsbaer, Mulathing, Myrdalshreppur, Nordhurthing, Rangarthing Eystra, Rangarthing Ytra, Reykholahreppur, Reykjanesbaer, Reykjavik, Seltjarnarnes, Skaftarhreppur, Skagabyggdh, Skagafjordhur, Skeidha-og Gnupverjahreppur, Skorradalshreppur, Snaefellsbaer, Strandabyggdh, Stykkisholmur, Sudhavikurhreppur, Sudhurnesjabaer, Svalbardhsstrandarhreppur, Sveitarfelagidh Arborg, Sveitarfelagidh Hornafjordhur, Sveitarfelagidh Olfus, Sveitarfelagidh Skagastrond, Sveitarfelagidh Vogar, Talknafjardharhreppur, Thingeyjarsveit, Tjorneshreppur, Vestmannaeyjar, Vesturbyggdh, Vopnafjardharhreppur

Independence: 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark; birthday of Jon SIGURDSSON, leader of Iceland's 19th Century independence movement)

National holiday: Independence Day, 17 June (1944)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest ratified 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944 (at independence)
Amendments: proposed by the Althingi; passage requires approval by the Althingi and by the next elected Althingi, and confirmation by the president of the republic; proposed amendments to Article 62 of the constitution - that the Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the state church of Iceland - also require passage by referendum; amended many times, last in 2013

Legal system: civil law system influenced by the Danish model

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Iceland
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 to 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Gudni Thorlacius JOHANNESSON (since 1 August 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister Katrin JAKOBSDOTTIR (since 30 November 2017)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (no term limits); election last held on 27 June 2020 (next to be held in 2024); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition becomes prime minister
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Althingi or Parliament (63 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 25 September 2021 (next to be held in 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - IP 25.4%, PP 20.6%, LGM 12.7%, People's Party 9.5%, Pirate Party 9.5%, SDA 9.5%, Reform Party 7.9%, CP 4.8%; seats by party - IP 16, PP 13, LGM 8, People's Party 6, Pirate Party 6, SDA 6, Reform Party 5, CP 3; composition - men 33, women 30; percent of women 47.6%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Haestirettur (consists of 9 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: judges proposed by Ministry of Interior selection committee and appointed by the president; judges appointed for an indefinite period
Subordinate courts: Appellate Court or Landsrettur; 8 district courts; Labor Court

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bergdis ELLERTSDOTTIR (since 16 September 2019)
In the us chancery: House of Sweden, 2,900 K Street NW, #509, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-6,653
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 265-6,656
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carrin F. PATMAN (since 6 October 2022)
From the us embassy: Engjateigur 7, 105 Reykjavik
From the us mailing address: 5,640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20,521-5,640
From the us telephone: [354] 595-2,200
From the us FAX: [354] 562-9,118
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the colors represent three of the elements that make up the island: red is for the island's volcanic fires, white recalls the snow and ice fields of the island, and blue is for the surrounding ocean

National symbols: gyrfalcon; national colors: blue, white, red

National anthem
Name: "Lofsongur" (Song of Praise)
Lyrics/music: Matthias JOCHUMSSON/Sveinbjorn SVEINBJORNSSON
Note: adopted 1944; also known as "O, Gud vors lands" (O, God of Our Land), the anthem was originally written and performed in 1874

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (1 cultural, 2 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: high-income European economy; frozen EU accession application but Schengen Area member; major tourism, fishing, and aluminum industries; complex regulatory environment; large FDI recipient; highly educated workforce

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50.4% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 23.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 22.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 47% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -42.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 19.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 74.6% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, mutton, poultry, potatoes, barley, pork, eggs, beef, other meat, sheep skins

Industries: tourism, fish processing; aluminum smelting; geothermal power, hydropower; medical/pharmaceutical products

Industrial production growth rate: 5.65% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 200,300 (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 13.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 13.7%

Population below poverty line: 8.8% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 26.1 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA

Budget
Revenues: $11.776 billion (2018 est.)
Expenditures: $11.536 billion (2018 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: 1.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 22.33% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: Netherlands 24%, Spain 10%, Germany 10%, United Kingdom 9%, United States 7% (2021)
Commodities: aluminum and aluminum products, fish fillets, salmon, iron alloys, animal meal (2021)

Imports:
Partners: Norway 11%, Denmark 10%, Netherlands 9%, Germany 9%, China 7% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, aluminum oxide, carbon/graphite electronics, cars, packaged medicines (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 2.967 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 17,912,066,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 519 million kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 67.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 32.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 142,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 136,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 19,700 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 2,530 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 20,220 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 3.337 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 459,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.879 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 93,048 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 27 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 437,270 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 118 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media: state-owned public TV broadcaster (RUV) operates 21 TV channels nationally (RUV and RUV 2, though RUV 2 is used less frequently); RUV broadcasts nationally, every household in Iceland is required to have RUV as it doubles as the emergency broadcast network; RUV also operates stringer offices in the north (Akureyri) and the east (Egilsstadir) but operations are all run out of RUV headquarters in Reykjavik; there are 3 privately owned TV stations; Stod 2 (Channel 2) is owned by Syn, following 365 Media and Vodafone merger, and is headquartered in Reykjavik; Syn also operates 4 sports channels under Stod 2; N4 is the only television station headquartered outside of Reykjavik, in Akureyri, with local programming for the north, south, and east of Iceland; Hringbraut is the newest station and is headquartered in Reykjavik; all of these television stations have nationwide penetration as 100% of households have multi-channel services though digital and/or fiber-optic connections RUV operates 3 radio stations (RAS 1, RAS2, and Rondo) as well as 4 regional stations (but they mostly act as range extenders for RUV radio broadcasts nationwide); there is 1 privately owned radio conglomerate, Syn (4 stations), that broadcasts nationwide, and 3 other radio stations that broadcast to the most densely populated regions of the country. In addition, there are upwards of 20 radio stations that operate regionally

Internet
Country code: .is
Users total: 370,000 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 100% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 141,816 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (2020 est.)

Military and security forces: no regular military forces; the Icelandic National Police, the nine regional police forces, and the Icelandic Coast Guard fall under the purview of the Ministry of Justice (2023)
Note: the Icelandic Coast Guard is responsible for operational defense tasks in Iceland including but not limited to operation of Keflavik Air Base, special security zones, and Iceland's air defense systems

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 63
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 7,819,740 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 163.65 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TF

Airports: 96 (2021)
With paved runways: 7
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 89
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Roadways
Total: 12,898 km (2012)
Paved/oiled gravel: 5,647 km (2012) (excludes urban roads)
Unpaved: 7,251 km (2012)

Merchant marine
Total: 40 (2022)
By type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 2, other 33

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Reykjavik

Disputes international: in 2019, Denmark signed continental shelf delimitation agreements with Iceland and Norway to parts of the continental shelf in the Ægir Basin, which is located north of the Faroe Islands

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 68 (2022)