The population in Iceland increased steadily over the past 10 years. Of the 387,758 people living in Iceland at the beginning of 2023, people between 20 and 39 years of age made up the largest age group. The second largest age group was those aged 40 to 59 years. Above 13,000 people aged 80 years or more live in Iceland. The Icelandic population consists of more men than women.

Of the foreign inhabitants residing in Iceland in 2023, the highest number had a Polish origin. Over 23,000 people with a Polish origin lived in Iceland. Danes, who made up the second largest group of foreign-born citizens, only counted 3,900 people. People from Poland also made up the largest group of people immigrating to Iceland in 2022.

Poles in Iceland

The number of immigrants from Poland started to increase after the country joined the European Union in 2004. Even though Iceland is not a member of the EU, it is a part of the European Economic Area (EEA), meaning that people from Poland do not need a residence or work permit when moving to Iceland. Traditionally, many Poles have been working in Iceland's important fishing industry, but in recent years, tourism, health care, and construction have also become important industries for Polish immigrants. In 2022, the tourism industry was the third largest employer in the country.

Employment in Iceland

The Nordic country is known for its high employment rates and high living standards. In 2022, more than 83 percent of the country's working age population was employed. This was the highest of the OECD countries that year.

There were 346 300 Facebook users in Iceland in April 2023, which accounted for 95.4% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 52.3%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (76 100). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 65 and above, where women lead by 19 100.

There were 251 300 Messenger users in Iceland in December 2023, which accounted for 69.2% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 51.4%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (59 800). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 65 and above, where women lead by 15 500.

Contains data from UNESCO's data portal covering various indicators.

The tourism sector GDP share in Iceland was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total five percentage points. The share is estimated to amount to 22.35 percent in 2028. While the share was forecast to increase significant in the next years, the increase will slow down in the future.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the tourism sector GDP share in countries like Norway and Sweden.

The international tourist departures in Iceland were forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.1 million departures (+17.86 percent). The number of depatures are estimated to amount to 0.67 million departures in 2029. According to Worldbank, international tourist departures can be defined as departures from the country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than work. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the international tourist departures in countries like Finland and Denmark.