MigrantoImmigrants in Iceland
98.3K foreign-born residents — the #135 largest immigrant population in the world
Where immigrants come from
The top 3 countries account for 43% of all immigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| Poland | 31868 |
| Denmark | 5917 |
| Lithuania | 4789 |
| USA | 3932 |
| Sweden | 3559 |
| Philippines | 3449 |
| Germany | 3243 |
| Latvia | 2902 |
| United Kingdom | 2804 |
| Romania | 2529 |
| Thailand | 2265 |
| Norway | 2098 |
| Portugal | 1634 |
| Spain | 1497 |
| Vietnam | 1384 |
| France | 1374 |
| Czech Republic | 1223 |
| Serbia | 1136 |
| China | 1128 |
| Croatia | 1081 |
| Italy | 793 |
| Slovakia | 781 |
| Bulgaria | 778 |
| Hungary | 763 |
| Russia | 743 |
| Ukraine | 660 |
| Netherlands | 616 |
| India | 588 |
| Canada | 553 |
| Faroe Islands | 494 |
| Syria | 423 |
| Bosnia | 412 |
| Morocco | 396 |
| Colombia | 388 |
| Iraq | 356 |
| Finland | 356 |
| Switzerland | 341 |
| Albania | 332 |
| Brazil | 328 |
| Belgium | 311 |
| Sri Lanka | 287 |
| Greece | 273 |
| Luxembourg | 272 |
| Estonia | 269 |
| Australia | 260 |
| Iran | 251 |
| Austria | 246 |
| Mexico | 240 |
| Indonesia | 239 |
| Nigeria | 234 |
| Ireland | 227 |
| Ghana | 201 |
| Nepal | 195 |
| Japan | 178 |
| Moldova | 171 |
| Afghanistan | 163 |
| Peru | 159 |
| South Africa | 157 |
| Turkey | 157 |
| Kenya | 156 |
| Venezuela | 156 |
| Pakistan | 142 |
| Ethiopia | 133 |
| Chile | 131 |
| North Macedonia | 127 |
| Argentina | 125 |
| Greenland | 124 |
| New Zealand | 118 |
| Slovenia | 106 |
| Algeria | 103 |
| Belarus | 103 |
| Cuba | 97 |
| Uganda | 91 |
| Honduras | 91 |
| Dominican Republic | 88 |
| Ecuador | 83 |
| Cape Verde | 82 |
| Georgia | 79 |
| Angola | 76 |
| Lebanon | 76 |
| South Korea | 74 |
| Malaysia | 73 |
| Egypt | 68 |
| Israel | 68 |
| Namibia | 65 |
| Tunisia | 62 |
| Guatemala | 54 |
| Kazakhstan | 53 |
| Somalia | 48 |
| Mozambique | 45 |
| Senegal | 44 |
| Jordan | 41 |
| Palestine | 41 |
| El Salvador | 41 |
| Tanzania | 36 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 36 |
| Guinea | 35 |
| Guyana | 35 |
| Mongolia | 32 |
| Singapore | 32 |
| Jamaica | 32 |
| Gambia | 29 |
| Sierra Leone | 29 |
| Azerbaijan | 29 |
| Saudi Arabia | 27 |
| Costa Rica | 27 |
| Bolivia | 23 |
| Zimbabwe | 20 |
| Uzbekistan | 20 |
| Haiti | 20 |
| Zambia | 18 |
| Bangladesh | 18 |
| Montenegro | 18 |
| Togo | 17 |
| Cyprus | 17 |
| UAE | 17 |
| Uruguay | 17 |
| Armenia | 15 |
| Eritrea | 14 |
| Malta | 14 |
| Libya | 11 |
| Ivory Coast | 11 |
| Panama | 11 |
| Mauritius | 9 |
| Sudan | 9 |
| Liberia | 9 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 9 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 9 |
| Nicaragua | 9 |
| Cameroon | 8 |
| Bahamas | 8 |
| Mali | 6 |
| Myanmar | 6 |
| Kuwait | 5 |
| Qatar | 5 |
| Madagascar | 3 |
| DR Congo | 3 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 3 |
| Mauritania | 3 |
| Tajikistan | 3 |
| Oman | 3 |
| Andorra | 3 |
| San Marino | 3 |
| Dominica | 3 |
| Paraguay | 3 |
| Bermuda | 3 |
| Malawi | 2 |
| Chad | 2 |
| Republic of Congo | 2 |
| Benin | 2 |
| Turkmenistan | 2 |
| Cambodia | 2 |
| Yemen | 2 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 |
| Tonga | 2 |
| Djibouti | 0 |
| Rwanda | 0 |
| Gabon | 0 |
| Burkina Faso | 0 |
| North Korea | 0 |
| Laos | 0 |
| East Timor | 0 |
| Bahrain | 0 |
| Gibraltar | 0 |
| Liechtenstein | 0 |
| Monaco | 0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 0 |
| Aruba | 0 |
| Barbados | 0 |
| Curaçao | 0 |
| Puerto Rico | 0 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 |
| Belize | 0 |
| Fiji | 0 |
| Solomon Islands | 0 |
By region of origin
Europe is the leading region of origin at 78%
76.9K
10.6K
4.6K
2.3K
2.2K
1.4K
382
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about immigration in Iceland.
Immigration is a key driver of population growth
67% of the population growth of Iceland since 1990 came from new immigrants, reflecting immigration's central demographic role.
Immigration has accelerated notably since 2020
The immigrant population grew 51% from 65.1K to 98.3K, indicating an acceleration in migration flows following COVID and recent geopolitical shifts.
Top source countries have shifted significantly since 1990
7 new countries have entered the top 20: Lithuania, Latvia, Romania — Lithuania rose from outside the top 20 to rank #3.
Poland is the leading source of immigration by a wide margin
Poland accounts for 32% of all immigrants, far ahead of the second-largest source at just 6%.
How immigration changed over time
Total immigrant population by year
| Year | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 9584 |
| 1995 | 12738 |
| 2000 | 15892 |
| 2005 | 25492 |
| 2010 | 34512 |
| 2015 | 38784 |
| 2020 | 65061 |
| 2024 | 98270 |
Top sources over time
Immigration from the 5 largest source countries
| Year | Poland | Denmark | Lithuania | USA | Sweden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 265 | 2048 | 0 | 1077 | 1012 |
| 1995 | 878 | 2175 | 16 | 1190 | 1280 |
| 2000 | 1491 | 2302 | 32 | 1392 | 1547 |
| 2005 | 5895 | 2637 | 753 | 1606 | 1716 |
| 2010 | 10091 | 2912 | 1444 | 1851 | 1847 |
| 2015 | 10967 | 3283 | 1499 | 2019 | 1920 |
| 2020 | 21102 | 3918 | 3171 | 2604 | 2357 |
| 2024 | 31868 | 5917 | 4789 | 3932 | 3559 |
Fastest-changing origins
How immigration from each country has changed since the selected year
Iceland as a destination, by diaspora
Share of each country's emigrants who settled in Iceland
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many immigrants live in Iceland?
Around 98.3K foreign-born residents live in Iceland, making it the #135-largest immigrant population in the world.
Where do most immigrants in Iceland come from?
Most immigrants in Iceland come from Poland, Denmark and Lithuania — these three countries account for about 43% of all foreign-born residents.
What share of the population of Iceland are immigrants?
Immigrants make up around 25% of the population of Iceland — that's 98.3K out of a total population of 386.5K.
How has immigration to Iceland changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the immigrant population in Iceland has grown from 38.8K to 98.3K people, a growth of about 153%.
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