Iceland Travel Podcast with Katrín Jónsdóttir

Location

Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the United Kingdom

Terrain

Mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Climate

Temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

Elevation

Highest point

Hvannadalshnukur (at Vatnajokull Glacier) 2,110 m

Lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

557 m

Area

Total

103,000 sq km

Land

100,250 sq km

Water

2,750 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; about the same size as Kentucky

Coastline

4,970 km

Land borders

Total 0 km

Natural resources

Fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use

Agricultural land

16.2% (2023 est.)

Arable land

1.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0% (2022 est.)

Permanent pasture

15% (2023 est.)

Forest

0.6% (2023 est.)

Other

82.6% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Earthquakes and volcanic activity

Volcanism: Iceland is situated on top of a hotspot and experiences severe volcanic activity; Eyjafjallajokull (1,666 m) erupted in 2010, sending ash high into the atmosphere and seriously disrupting European air traffic; scientists continue to monitor nearby Katla (1,512 m), which has a high probability of eruption; Grimsvoetn and Hekla are Iceland's most active volcanoes; other historically active volcanoes include Askja, Bardarbunga, Brennisteinsfjoll, Esjufjoll, Hengill, Krafla, Krisuvik, Kverkfjoll, Oraefajokull, Reykjanes, Torfajokull, and Vestmannaeyjar

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

Total

364,036 (2024 est.)

Male

182,268

Female

181,768

Nationality

Noun

Icelander(s)

Adjective

Icelandic

Ethnic groups

Icelandic 78.7%, Polish 5.8%, Danish 1%, Ukrainian 1%, other 13.5% (2024 est.)

Languages

Icelandic, English, Polish, Nordic languages, German

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 58.6% Roman Catholic 3.8%, Independent Congregation of Reykjavik 2.6%, Independent Congregation of Hafnarfjordur 1.9%, pagan worship 1.5%, Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association 1.4%, other (includes Zuist and Pentecostal) or unspecified 18.7%, none 7.7% (2024 est.)

Median age

Total

38.2 years (2025 est.)

Male

37.4 years

Female

38.6 years

Life expectancy

Total population

84 years (2024 est.)

Male

81.8 years

Female

86.3 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

94% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

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

Largest cities

216,000 REYKJAVIK (capital) (2018)

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, which was 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 the global financial crisis hit Iceland especially hard in the years after 2008. The economy is now on an upward trajectory, primarily thanks to a tourism and construction boom. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.

Government

Unitary parliamentary republic

Capital

Reykjavik

Time zone

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

None

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 day

Independence Day, 17 June (1944)

Overview

High-income North Atlantic island economy; not an EU member but market integration via European Economic Area (EEA); dominant tourism, fishing, and aluminum industries vulnerable to demand swings and disruption from volcanic activity; inflation remains above target rate; barriers to foreign business access and economic diversification

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$65,600 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$67,200 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$65,500 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

5.9% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

8.7% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

8.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

3.2% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

3.6% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

3.8% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

137.958 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

137.943 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

135.28 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

126.989 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

135.422 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Tourism, fish processing; aluminum smelting; geothermal power, hydropower; medical/pharmaceutical products

Agriculture

Milk, chicken, lamb/mutton, barley, potatoes, pork, beef, eggs, other meats, cucumbers/gherkins (2023)

Airports

82 (2025)

Ports

Total ports

43 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

2

Small

2

Very small

17

Size unknown

22

Ports with oil terminals

5

Key ports

Grundartangi, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur, Vestmannaeyjar

Internet domain

.is

Internet users

Percent of population 100% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

478,000 (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

123 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Water pollution from fertilizer runoff

Fresh water

170 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

2

Global geoparks and regional networks

Katla; Reykjanes (2023)