Iceland

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Iceland does not have a standing army, and therefore has no military budget. However, it has special forces which are responsible for defending the mainland as well as a coast guard which defends its maritime border.

Military membership

Iceland is a member of nine international military organizations which makes it the 39th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of NATO
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group
Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency
NATO

International Atomic Energy Agency
NATO

Military membership

International wars

Iceland has not partaken in any international war.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

It is a member of 12 international political organizations making it the 85th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
the Council of Europe
Council of the Baltic Sea States
Nordic Council
Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS)
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Arctic Council
International Criminal Court
Interpol

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Iceland is the 12th most democratic state in the world. This is largely due to its regular elections, as well as its emphasis on individual freedoms such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom on the Internet.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Iceland are in the form of a parliamentary democratic republic where the president is head of state, and the Prime Minister is head of government. Elections take place every four years.

Western European and Others Group
World Organization for Animal Health

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Switzerland.

Iceland

Being called the land of fire and ice, because of its many glaciers and volcanoes. Iceland is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Being uninhabited throughout the first millennium, it was first inhabited by the Irish around the 10th century. When the Norwegians took control of Iceland in the 13th century, it became a part of Norway and later on Denmark through the unification of Scandinavian states. Only in 1918 did Iceland gain its independence from the kingdom of Denmark. .

Iceland is an island state which is located in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Its geography is made up of a central mountain range with lowlands on its coastal areas. The states that are closest located to Iceland are Norway to its east, the United Kingdom and Ireland to its southeast and Greenland to its northwest. Most of Icelands landscape is characterized by either grassland or rocks.

With a total surface area of 103,515 square kilometers or 40,200 square miles, Iceland is the 106th largest state in the world, being slightly larger than South Korea and slightly smaller than Guatemala.

It is the 81st state with the highest amount of water which stands at 2764 square kilometers or 1065 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water comes from springs and the wells which represent more than 95 percent of all of its drinking water. The remaining drinking water is in the form of surface water which is obtained through small rivers and lakes.

Despite being located near the Arctic Circle, the climate of Iceland is heavily influenced by the Gulf Stream which creates mild summers and mild winters compared to other regions of its latitude. The average temperature is 2.6 degrees Celsius or 36.6 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Iceland the 191st warmest state in the world.

During summer, the average temperature is around 5.7 degrees Celsius or 42.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

During winter ,the average temperature drops down to 0.9 degrees Celsius or 33.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rainfall in Iceland is fairly evenly spread out throughout the year with some peaks between October to February. It is the 102nd state with the highest amount of rainfall with 96 centimetres or 38 inches per year.

The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik is home to around 150,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Reykjavik is Dublin Ireland with a distance of 1495 kilometers or 929 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Reykjavik is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 17,253 kilometers or 10,720 miles.

The economy of Iceland is a mixed economy with high levels of government intervention. The largest contributor to its economy is the fishing industry which is solely responsible for nearly 40 percent of its GDP. Other large sectors are the aluminium sector and tourism. Before the 2008 crisis, the Icelandic banking sector was among the largest contributors to its GDP, but due to a default of Iceland's three largest banks, the financial sector has collapsed. Currently, most of its exports go to the Netherlands which is solely responsible for more than 25 percent of total exports. Its largest import partner is also the Netherlands which is responsible for more than 10 percent of total imports.

Iceland is a member of 14 international economic organizations which makes it the 63rd most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
International Monetary Fund
Nordic Development Fund
Nordic Investment Bank
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization

World Trade Organization
Energy Charter Treaty
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency

It has the 111th highest GDP in the world which stands at US$23.4 billion representing 0.028 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per service area is the 125th highest in the world with US$226,000 per square kilometer or US$582,000 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita however is the seventh highest in the world with an average income of US$67,453.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 16th highest in the world and is estimated to be US$55,548.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Iceland is the 172nd most populous state in the world with a population of 347,000 people. Because of its relatively remote location, the population of Iceland is fairly homogenous with most Icelanders being descendants from Scandinavia or the United Kingdom. The main languages that are spoken are Icelandic and English.

It has the 191st highest population density in the world with three people per square kilometer or nine people per square mile.

Around 11.2 percent of the population, or more than 40,000 people have migrated from Iceland. The largest part migrated between the periods of 2010 and 2020 as a result of a severe economic downturn of the Icelandic economy. Most migrants went to Denmark and Norway which represent 50 percent of total migration.

Immigration to Iceland is represented by 10.9 percent of the population, or around 40,000 people. The largest supplier of migrants has been Poland which is solely responsible for more than 15,000 people.

The Icelandic educational system is based on the educational system of other Scandinavian states. Education is free and compulsory between the ages of six and 16 with four different school systems. It is the 26th most literate state in the world with 98.9 percent being literate.

The health care system of Iceland is heavily funded, and the Icelandic diet is considered to be among the healthiest in the world. On average, the life expectancy is 83.5 years with women reaching 84.9 years and men reaching 82.2 years. This is the 13th highest life expectancy in the world.

Freedom of religion is provided by Iceland towards all religions.

Christianity is followed by 92 percent of the population making it the 12th most Christian state in the world. Christianity was first introduced at the turn of the 11th century and became the state religion in the 12th century when the King of Norway converted to Christianity. The largest denomination has shifted from Catholicism to Lutheranism when Iceland became a part of the Danish kingdom.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is a minority religion which is practiced by 0.2 percent of the population which makes Iceland the 145th most Islamic state in the world. Most Muslims in Iceland came in the form of refugees from Serbia because of war.

Around 0.3 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism which has become officially recognized in 2008. Most Buddhists originate from Thailand and gained Icelandic citizenship through marriage.

Hinduism is represented by 0.2 percent of the population and became officially recognized in 2019.

Judaism is represented by 0.03 percent of the population and mainly consists of Jewish merchants. There are no synagogues in Iceland and many Jews practice their religion in private.

Around 0.5 percent of the population adheres to other religions. These are mainly old Norse religions such as Heathenry and the Asatruar religion.

Irreligion is the second largest group in Iceland and is practiced by 2.3 percent of the population. It is estimated that this number is higher, and it is argued that most Icelanders are only registered to the Icelandic church by convenience.