Statistics Iceland now publishes, for the first time, statistics on the immigrant population in Iceland. According to our definition an immigrant is a person born abroad with two foreign born parents and four foreign born grandparents. Second generation immigrants are persons born in Iceland with two immigrant parents.
Iceland has experienced strong growth in immigrant population since 1996. In 1996 immigrants were 5,357 (1.8% of the total population) compared with 25,265 (8%) in 2008. Second generation immigrants were 345 in 1996 and 1,558 in 2008. The share of immigrants in Iceland is now comparable to other Nordic countries. On the other hand second generation immigrants are both fewer and younger than in other European countries. Thus, more than three fourths of second generation immigrants are below the age of ten. Most immigrants in Iceland are in working ages. Children and elderly persons are few. Only 3,8% of all immigrants are above the age of 65 and 5,7% are children below the age of 15.
Until the 1990s, the Icelandic population was very homogenous and a vast majority of immigrants came from the neighbouring Nordic countries. As late as 1996, 30% of all immigrants were from one of those countries. In 2008 this share had dropped to 7%. Now, a vast majority of immigrants come from Europe outside the Nordic countries (68% in 2008 compared to 40% in 1996). Immigrants from Poland are by far the most numerous immigrant group and now 35,9% of all immigrants in Iceland are born in Polland. They are now 9,082 compared with 347 in 1996 (6.5% of all immigrants). Other large immigrant groups are from the Philippines (1,252 in 2008 compared with 245 in 1996) and Lithuania (1,240 compared with only 12 in 1996). Little change has occurred in the number of immigrants from the Nordic countries. They were 1,618 in 1996 and 1,834 in 2008.
Immigrants and persons with foreign bakground in 1996-2008 - Statistical Series