The population increase in 2006 is among the highest ever recorded in Iceland. According to the National registry, the population stood at 307,672 on 31 December 2006 compared with 299,891 at the same time in 2005, a 2.6% increase in one year. The total population increase in Europe in 2006 was 0.2% with only a few countries experiencing population increase above 1%.
The population increase in Iceland has not been so high since the late fifties. The population increased from 1945 and peaked in 1957 when it stood at 2.6%. From then on the population growth rate fell and in the eighties the population increase was below 1%. The growth rate remained around 1% until 2005 when it rose dramatically to 2.2%.
The high population increase now is mainly due to a very high net in-migration in 2006. The net migration to Iceland was 5,255 in 2006 while the number of births in excess of deaths was around 2,500. Natural increase was 0.9% and migration contributed to 1.7% of the total increase.
Statistics
Municipalities
Urban nuclei