Iceland population could hit half a million by 2065
Photo: Iceland Monitor/Rósa Braga
New figures from Statistics Iceland suggest that the population of Iceland – now around 332,000 – could be as high as 523,000 in fifty years time.
This figure is the upper-end estimate of population growth in the country, and takes into account population movements, economic growth, and birth and death rates. Statistics Iceland projections given a medium variant for 2065 population in Iceland of 442,000 and a low variant of 369,000 (see below).
Life expectancy is also expected to increase between now and 2065 – from 79.6 years to 84.3 years for men, and from 83.6 years to 88.6 years for women.
The projections assume constant net immigration of foreigners (more arriving than leaving), and net emigration of Icelanders (more leaving that returning) over the fifty-year period.
Over 25% of the Icelandic population is expected to be over 65 years of age by 2065. Iceland is still expected, however, to be one of the youngest nations in Europe, as the proportion of over-65s elsewhere in the continent is forecast to rise to one-third.
Source: Statistics Iceland
