Where Icelanders move
23.3K Icelanders live abroad — #175 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Iceland? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 86% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Denmark | 8868 |
| Norway | 8658 |
| Poland | 2546 |
| Brazil | 556 |
| Luxembourg | 477 |
| Australia | 403 |
| Chile | 354 |
| Faroe Islands | 304 |
| Finland | 211 |
| South Africa | 189 |
| Hungary | 175 |
| Greenland | 157 |
| Slovakia | 105 |
| Lithuania | 60 |
| Greece | 56 |
| Latvia | 49 |
| Estonia | 43 |
| Bulgaria | 40 |
| Portugal | 34 |
| Cyprus | 33 |
| Slovenia | 5 |
| Bolivia | 2 |
| Costa Rica | 1 |
| Liechtenstein | 0 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 93%
21.6K
913
403
189
157
33
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Iceland.
Denmark is the primary destination for emigrants
Denmark attracts 38% of all emigrants from Iceland, while the second-largest destination receives just 37%.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 50% to 38%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
A significant share of the population lives abroad
1 in 17 residents of Iceland has emigrated — 23.3K out of 386.5K, representing 6.0% of the population.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 6586 |
| 1995 | 8745 |
| 2000 | 11709 |
| 2005 | 13497 |
| 2010 | 16404 |
| 2015 | 19596 |
| 2020 | 20887 |
| 2024 | 23326 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Denmark | Norway | Poland | Brazil | Luxembourg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3319 | 2221 | 10 | 5 | 259 |
| 1995 | 4394 | 2601 | 16 | 585 | 273 |
| 2000 | 5782 | 3780 | 26 | 479 | 290 |
| 2005 | 7313 | 3622 | 71 | 520 | 251 |
| 2010 | 8404 | 4849 | 246 | 475 | 215 |
| 2015 | 7839 | 8221 | 634 | 508 | 328 |
| 2020 | 8480 | 7786 | 1563 | 534 | 413 |
| 2024 | 8868 | 8658 | 2546 | 556 | 477 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Iceland as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Iceland