The total population 1 January 2019 was 356,991 and grew by 8,541 from the previous year, a 2.4% rise. The number of men (182,837) increased by 2.9% while the number of women (174,154) increased by 1.9%. Proportionally the population growth was highest in the region of Suðurnes (5.2%), 1,343 persons. The population increased by 2.6% in the Capital region (5,747 persons) and only declined in one region, the Northeast (-0.03%).
Ten municipalities with more than five thousand inhabitants
The number of municipalities was 72, two less than in the previous year due to the merging of municipalities. Seven municipalities had fewer than 100 inhabitants, 40 had fewer than 1,000 inhabitants and only ten municipalities had more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Families
Nuclear families, i.e. couples with or without children under the age of 18 years or single parents with children under 18 years, were 83,358 1 January 2019, compared with 82,102 nuclear families one year earlier.
Dependency ratio
The dependency ratio was 64.9% compared with 65.8% last year. The dependency ratio is calculated as the ratio of the young and old age population relative to the working age population (defined as 20–64 years of age).
Methods
The definition of localities and urban nuclei is in alignment with international recommendations, especially that of the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1201/2009 implementing Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on population and housing censuses as regards the technical specifications of the topics and of their breakdowns.