Polity · 1944 CE – present
Republic of Iceland
Island
Also recorded as Iceland
- Peak recorded area
- 102,889 km²
- 1886 CE
- Rulers on record
- 39
- from 1904 CE
- Data series
- 318
- 1944 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 35% of the country's roughly 395,000 residents. The official language of the country is Icelandic.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
5 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 53 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population215 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 398.3Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy174 obs · 1838 CE–2011 CE | 82.4years2011 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2,709persons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 1.11% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 84.57years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 81.8years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 118 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP200 obs · 1820 CE–2019 CE | 47.1Kint'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP per capita153 obs · 1870 CE–2022 CE | 42.1K2011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 38.6Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Total Exports71 obs · 1944 CE–2014 CE | 5,021.86million USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Total Imports71 obs · 1944 CE–2014 CE | 5,367.05million USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Balance71 obs · 1944 CE–2014 CE | -345.19million USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
Military
6 of 19 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score73 obs · 1944 CE–2016 CE | 0CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption73 obs · 1944 CE–2016 CE | 2.4Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production73 obs · 1944 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel71 obs · 1944 CE–2016 CE | 0persons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure63 obs · 1944 CE–2016 CE | 31Mcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure Constant Usd37 obs · 1988 CE–2024 CE | 0millions_usd_20232024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
Territory & resources
6 of 51 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.2% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 0.5287% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 16.25%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.3137hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.6Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 121Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 29 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.844index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.759index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.604index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 3RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.976index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Checks And Balances49 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 5count2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
Development
6 of 48 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.911index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Physicians Per 100064 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 4.37per_10002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Newspaper Circulation54 obs · 1946 CE–1999 CE | 16.5Kcirculation1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Radios54 obs · 1946 CE–1999 CE | 280count1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10052 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 123.38per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Dpt Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 94%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
39 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Hannes HafsteinPrime Minister of Iceland1904 CE – 1909 CE
- Björn JónssonPrime Minister of Iceland1909 CE – 1911 CE
- Kristján JónssonPrime Minister of Iceland1911 CE – 1912 CE
- Sigurður EggerzPrime Minister of Iceland1914 CE – 1915 CE
- Einar ArnórssonPrime Minister of Iceland1915 CE – 1917 CE
- Jón MagnússonPrime Minister of Iceland1917 CE – 1922 CE
- Jón ÞorlákssonPrime Minister of Iceland1926 CE – 1927 CE
- Tryggvi ÞórhallssonPrime Minister of Iceland1927 CE – 1932 CE
- Ásgeir ÁsgeirssonPrime Minister of Iceland1932 CE – 1934 CE
- Hermann JónassonPrime Minister of Iceland1934 CE – 1942 CE
- Björn ÞórðarsonPrime Minister of Iceland1942 CE – 1944 CE
- Ólafur ThorsPrime Minister of Iceland1942 CE
- Sveinn BjörnssonPresident of Iceland1944 CE – 1952 CE
- Stefán Jóhann StefánssonPrime Minister of Iceland1947 CE – 1949 CE
- Steingrímur SteinþórssonPrime Minister of Iceland1950 CE – 1953 CE
- Ásgeir ÁsgeirssonPresident of Iceland1952 CE – 1968 CE
- Emil JónssonPrime Minister of Iceland1958 CE – 1959 CE
- Bjarni BenediktssonPrime Minister of Iceland1961 CE
- Kristján EldjárnPresident of Iceland1968 CE – 1980 CE
- Jóhann HafsteinPrime Minister of Iceland1970 CE – 1971 CE
- Ólafur JóhannessonPrime Minister of Iceland1971 CE – 1974 CE
- Geir HallgrímssonPrime Minister of Iceland1974 CE – 1978 CE
- Benedikt Sigurðsson GröndalPrime Minister of Iceland1979 CE – 1980 CE
- Gunnar ThoroddsenPrime Minister of Iceland1980 CE – 1983 CE
- Vigdís FinnbogadóttirPresident of Iceland1980 CE – 1996 CE
- Steingrímur HermannssonPrime Minister of Iceland1983 CE – 1987 CE
- Þorsteinn PálssonPrime Minister of Iceland1987 CE – 1988 CE
- Davíð OddssonPrime Minister of Iceland1991 CE – 2004 CE
- Ólafur Ragnar GrímssonHead of State1996 CE – 2016 CE
- Halldór ÁsgrímssonPrime Minister of Iceland2004 CE – 2006 CE
- Geir HaardePrime Minister of Iceland2006 CE – 2009 CE
- Jóhanna SigurðardóttirPrime Minister of Iceland2009 CE – 2013 CE
- Sigmundur Davíð GunnlaugssonHead of Government2013 CE – 2017 CE
- Guðni JóhannessonHead of State2016 CE – 2024 CE
- Sigurður Ingi JóhannssonPrime Minister of Iceland2016 CE – 2017 CE
- Bjarni BenediktssonHead of Government2017 CE
- Katrín JakobsdóttirHead of Government2017 CE – 2024 CE
- Halla TómasdóttirHead of State2024 CE –
- Kristrún Mjöll FrostadóttirHead of Government2024 CE –
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Icelandic
- Currency
- Icelandic króna (ISK)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1946 CE –
- NATONATOMilitary alliance · founding member1949 CE –
- 20-member Defense Pact (1949)Military alliance · member1949 CE –
- EFTAEFTAEconomic bloc · member1970 CE –
- Denmark–Iceland Defense Pact (2007)Military alliance · member2007 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Barbieri, K. & Keshk, O. (2016). Correlates of War Project Trade Data Set, v4.0.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023DPI 2023
Cruz, C., Keefer, P. & Scartascini, C. (2023). Database of Political Institutions 2023. Inter-American Development Bank.
IDB open data, attribution
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of Iceland is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.