Editing Iceland (section)

==Demographics==
{{for|statistics on demographics|Demographics of Iceland}}
{{see also|Icelanders}}
[[File:Reykjavik City Iceland Downtown Cityscape.jpg|thumb|[[Reykjavík]], Iceland's largest metropolitan area and the centre of the [[Capital Region (Iceland)|Capital Region]] which, with a population of 233,034, makes for 64% of Iceland's population (numbers from 2020)]]
The original population of Iceland was of [[Northmen|Norse]] and [[Gaels|Gaelic]] origin. This is evident from literary evidence dating from the settlement period as well as from later scientific studies such as [[blood type]] and genetic analyses. One such genetic study indicated that the majority of the male settlers were of Nordic origin while the majority of the women were of Gaelic origin, meaning many settlers of Iceland were Norsemen who brought Gaelic slaves with them.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1 = Helgason|first1 = Agnar|year = 2000|title = Estimating Scandinavian and Gaelic Ancestry in the Male Settlers of Iceland|pmc = 1287529|journal = American Journal of Human Genetics|volume = 67|issue = 3|pages = 697–717|doi = 10.1086/303046|pmid = 10931763|last2 = Sigureth Ardóttir|first2 = S|last3 = Nicholson|first3 = J|last4 = Sykes|first4 = B|last5 = Hill|first5 = EW|last6 = Bradley|first6 = DG|last7 = Bosnes|first7 = V|last8 = Gulcher|first8 = JR|last9 = Ward|first9 = R|display-authors = 9|last10 = Stefánsson|first10 = Kári}}
</ref>

Iceland has extensive genealogical records dating back to the late 17th century and fragmentary records extending back to the [[Settlement of Iceland|Age of Settlement]]. The biopharmaceutical company [[deCODE genetics]] has funded the creation of a [[genealogy]] database that is intended to cover all of Iceland's known inhabitants. It views the database, called {{Lang|is|[[Íslendingabók (genealogical database)|Íslendingabók]]}}, as a valuable tool for conducting research on genetic diseases, given the relative isolation of Iceland's population.

The population of the island is believed to have varied from 40,000 to 60,000 in the period ranging from initial settlement until the mid-19th century. During that time, cold winters, ash fall from volcanic eruptions, and [[bubonic plague]]s adversely affected the population several times.<ref name=tomasson>{{cite book |last=Tomasson |first=Richard F. |title=Iceland, the first new society |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |year=1980 |page=63 |isbn=978-0-8166-0913-0}}</ref> There were 37 [[famine]] years in Iceland between 1500 and 1804.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lancaster |first=H.O. |title=Expectations of Life: A Study in the Demography, Statistics, and History of World Mortality |publisher=Springer-Verlag |location=New York |year=1990 |page=399 |isbn=978-0-387-97105-6}}</ref> The first census was carried out in 1703 and revealed that the population was then 50,358. After the destructive volcanic eruptions of the [[Laki|Laki volcano]] during 1783–1784, the population reached a low of about 40,000.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8624791.stm The eruption that changed Iceland forever] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023132551/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8624791.stm |date=23 October 2021 }}". BBC News. 16 April 2010.</ref> Improving living conditions have triggered a rapid increase in population since the mid-19th century—from about 60,000 in 1850 to 320,000 in 2008. Iceland has a relatively young population for a developed country, with one out of five people being 14&nbsp;years old or younger. With a fertility rate of 2.1, Iceland is one of only a few European countries with a birth rate [[Replacement fertility rate|sufficient for long-term population growth]] (see table below).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statice.is/?PageID=1175&src=%2Ftemp_en%2FDialog%2Fvarval.asp%3Fma%3DMAN05202%26ti%3DFertility+and+reproduction+rates+1853-2010++++++%26path%3D..%2FDatabase%2Fmannfjoldi%2Ffaeddir%2F%26lang%3D1%26units%3Dpr%201000%20women |title=Home – Hagstofa |work=Hagstofa |access-date=25 April 2012 |archive-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620074227/https://www.statice.is/?PageID=1175&src=%2Ftemp_en%2FDialog%2Fvarval.asp%3Fma%3DMAN05202%26ti%3DFertility+and+reproduction+rates+1853-2010++++++%26path%3D..%2FDatabase%2Fmannfjoldi%2Ffaeddir%2F%26lang%3D1%26units%3Dpr%201000%20women |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eng.velferdarraduneyti.is/departments/gender-equality/ |title=Gender equality |publisher=Centre for Gender Equality Iceland |date=January 2012 |access-date=11 May 2012 |archive-date=16 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316185517/http://eng.velferdarraduneyti.is/departments/gender-equality/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2007, 33,678 people (13.5% of the total population) living in Iceland had been born abroad, including children of Icelandic parents living abroad. Around 19,000 people (6% of the population) held foreign citizenship. [[Polish diaspora|Polish]] people make up the largest minority group by a considerable margin and still form the bulk of the foreign workforce.<ref name=citizenship/> About 8,000 Poles now live in Iceland, 1,500 of them in [[Fjarðabyggð]] where they make up 75% of the workforce who are constructing the Fjarðarál aluminium plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35572 |title=Iceland: Migration Appears Here Too |publisher=IPS |first1=Lowana |last1=Veal |date=Nov 22, 2006 |access-date=10 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511062508/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35572 |archive-date=11 May 2011}}</ref> Large-scale construction projects in the east of Iceland (see [[Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant]]) have also brought in many people whose stay is expected to be temporary. Many Polish immigrants were also considering leaving in 2008 as a result of the [[2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis|Icelandic financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7680087.stm |title=Europe &#124; Iceland faces immigrant exodus |work=BBC News |date=21 October 2008 |access-date=10 February 2010 |archive-date=24 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024155609/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7680087.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The southwest corner of Iceland is by far the most densely populated region. It is also the location of the capital Reykjavík, the northernmost national capital in the world. More than 70 percent of Iceland's population lives in the southwest corner ([[Capital Region (Iceland)|Greater Reykjavík]] and the nearby [[Southern Peninsula (Iceland)|Southern Peninsula]]), which covers less than two percent of Iceland's land area. The largest town outside Greater Reykjavík is [[Reykjanesbær]], which is located on the Southern Peninsula, less than {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the capital. The largest town outside the southwest corner is [[Akureyri]] in northern Iceland.

Some 500 Icelanders under the leadership of [[Erik the Red]] settled [[Greenland]] in the late tenth century.<ref>{{cite journal |title=A Millennium of Misery: The Demography of the Icelanders |journal=Population Studies |last=Tomasson |first=Richard F. |volume=31 |issue=3 |year=1977 |pages=405–406 |doi=10.2307/2173366 |pmid=11630504 |jstor=2173366}}</ref> The total population reached a high point of perhaps 5,000, and developed independent institutions before disappearing by 1500.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/ |title=The Fate of Greenland's Vikings |publisher=Archaeology.org |date=28 February 2000 |access-date=10 February 2010 |archive-date=4 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104204345/http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/ |url-status=live }}</ref> People from Greenland attempted to set up a settlement at [[Vinland]] in North America, but abandoned it in the face of hostility from the [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|indigenous population]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nat.is/travelguideeng/icelandic_vikings.htm |title=Iceland: The Vikings |publisher=Nordic Adventure Travel |access-date=27 July 2014 |archive-date=17 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817185514/http://nat.is/travelguideeng/icelandic_vikings.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Emigration of Icelanders to the United States and Canada began in the 1870s. {{As of|2021}}, Canada had over 101,000 people of [[Icelandic Canadian|Icelandic]] descent,<ref>{{cite web |date=March 20, 2024 |title=Special Interest Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/sip/index.cfm?Lang=E |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211144718/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 |archive-date=11 December 2020 |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=Statistics Canada}}</ref> while there are more than 40,000 Americans of [[Icelandic American|Icelandic]] descent, according to the 2000 US census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFactsCharIteration?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=539&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010%3A539&_keyword=&_industry= |title=Select a Race, Ethnic, or Ancestry Group |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=10 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103054548/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFactsCharIteration?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=539&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_A1010%3A539&_keyword=&_industry= |archive-date=3 January 2011 }}</ref>

===Urbanisation===
Iceland's 10 most populous urban areas:
{{Largest cities
|country     = Iceland
|stat_ref    = {{URL|statice.is}}
|list_by_pop = Localities of Iceland
|div_name    = Region
|div_link    = 
|city_1      = Reykjavík
|div_1       = Capital Region (Iceland){{!}}Capital Region
|pop_1       = 138,722
|img_1       = Reykjavik, Iceland, OCT 2009.jpg
|city_2      = Kópavogur
|div_2       = Capital Region (Iceland){{!}}Capital Region
|pop_2       = 36,975
|img_2       = Kópavogur Smárinn.JPG
|city_3      = Hafnarfjörður
|div_3       = Capital Region (Iceland){{!}}Capital Region
|pop_3       = 29,799
|img_3       = HafnarfjörðurHarbourView.JPG
|city_4      = Reykjanesbær
|div_4       = Southern Peninsula (Iceland){{!}}Southern Peninsula
|pop_4       = 18,920
|img_4       = Ytri-Njarðvík, Reykjanesbaer, Iceland.jpg
|city_5      = Akureyri
|div_5       = Northeastern Region (Iceland){{!}}Northeastern Region
|pop_5       = 18,925
|city_6      = Garðabær
|div_6       = Capital Region (Iceland){{!}}Capital Region
|pop_6       = 16,299
|city_7      = Mosfellsbær
|div_7       = Capital Region (Iceland){{!}}Capital Region
|pop_7       = 11,463
|city_8      = Árborg
|div_8       = Southern Region (Iceland){{!}}Southern Region
|pop_8       = 9,485
|city_9      = Akranes
|div_9       = Western Region (Iceland){{!}}Western Region
|pop_9       = 7,411
|city_10     = Fjarðabyggð
|div_10      = Eastern Region (Iceland){{!}}Eastern Region
|pop_10      = 5,070
}}

===Language===
{{main|Languages of Iceland|Icelandic language}}
{{see also|Icelandic name}}
Iceland's official written and spoken language is [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], a [[North Germanic languages|North Germanic language]] descended from [[Old Norse]]. In grammar and vocabulary, it has changed less from Old Norse than the other Nordic languages; Icelandic has preserved more verb and noun [[inflection]], and has to a considerable extent developed new vocabulary based on native roots rather than borrowings from other languages. The puristic tendency in the development of Icelandic vocabulary is to a large degree a result of conscious language planning, in addition to centuries of isolation. Icelandic is the only living language to retain the use of the [[runic]] letter [[Þ]] in [[Latin script]]. The closest living relative of the Icelandic language is [[Faroese language|Faroese]].

[[Icelandic Sign Language]] was officially recognised as a minority language in 2011. In education, its use for Iceland's deaf community is [[Legal recognition of sign languages|regulated]] by the ''National Curriculum Guide''.

English and Danish are compulsory subjects in the school curriculum. English is widely understood and spoken, while basic to moderate knowledge of Danish is common mainly among the older generations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icelandexport.is/english/about_iceland/icelandic_language/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013003321/http://www.icelandexport.is/english/about_iceland/icelandic_language/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2006 |title=Icelandic Language |work=Iceland Trade Directory |publisher=icelandexport.is |access-date=22 April 2010 }}</ref> [[Polish language|Polish]] is mostly spoken by the local Polish community (the largest minority of Iceland), and Danish is mostly spoken in a way largely comprehensible to Swedes and Norwegians—it is often referred to as {{lang|is|skandinavíska}} (i.e. ''Scandinavian'') in Iceland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heimur.is/heimur/leit/frettir/Default.asp?ew_1_a_id=138249 |title=Heimur&nbsp;– Útgáfufyrirtækið |publisher=Heimur.is |access-date=8 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511213824/http://www.heimur.is/heimur/leit/frettir/Default.asp?ew_1_a_id=138249 |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref>

Rather than using [[family name]]s, as is the usual custom in most Western nations, most Icelanders carry [[patronymic]] or [[matronymic]] surnames, patronyms being far more commonly practised. Patronymic last names are based on the first name of the father, while matronymic names are based on the first name of the mother. These follow the person's given name, e.g. {{lang|is|Elísabet Jónsdóttir}} ("Elísabet, Jón's daughter" (Jón being the father)) or {{lang|is|Ólafur Katrínarson}} ("Ólafur, Katrín's son" (Katrín being the mother)).<ref>[http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Surnames "Surnames – Nordic Names Wiki – Name Origin, Meaning and Statistics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005121549/http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Surnames |date=5 October 2013 }}. ''Nordicnames.de'' (16 September 2013). Retrieved 5 January 2014.</ref> Consequently, Icelanders refer to one another by their given name, and the Icelandic telephone directory lists people alphabetically by the first name rather than by surname.<ref>[http://travel-wonders.com/2009/09/28/the-icelandic-phonebook-surprise/ "The Icelandic Phonebook Surprise"]. ''Travel Wonders of the World'' (28 September 2009). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904011254/http://travel-wonders.com/2009/09/28/the-icelandic-phonebook-surprise/ |date=4 September 2018 }}. Retrieved 5 January 2014.</ref> All new names must be approved by the [[Icelandic Naming Committee]].

===Health===
{{main|Healthcare in Iceland}}
[[File:Life expectancy in Iceland.svg|thumb|right|Life expectancy in Iceland, 1838 to 2021]]
Iceland has a [[universal health care]] system that is administered by its Ministry of Welfare ({{Langx|is|Velferðarráðuneytið}})<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100324121304/http://eng.heilbrigdisraduneyti.is/Information/nr/677 Information about the Icelandic Health Care System]. Ministry of Health, Iceland</ref> and paid for mostly by taxes (85%) and to a lesser extent by service fees (15%). Unlike most countries, there are no private hospitals, and private insurance is practically nonexistent.<ref name = j1/>

A considerable portion of the government budget is assigned to health care,<ref name = j1>{{Cite journal|pmid = 16490899|journal = Arch Surg|title = Surgery in Iceland|year = 2006|volume = 141|issue = 2|doi = 10.1001/archsurg.141.2.199|last1 = Gunnlaugsson|first1 = Gunnar H.|last2 = Oddsdottir|first2 = M|last3 = Magnusson|first3 = J|pages = 199–203|doi-access = }}</ref> and Iceland ranks 11th in health care expenditures as a percentage of GDP<ref>[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_tot_exp_on_hea_as_of_gdp-health-total-expenditure-gdp Retrieved 27-4-2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504215044/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_tot_exp_on_hea_as_of_gdp-health-total-expenditure-gdp |date=4 May 2012 }}. Nationmaster.com. Retrieved 28 April 2012.</ref> and 14th in spending per capita.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> Overall, the country's health care system is one of the best performing in the world, ranked 15th by the [[World Health Organization]].<ref>World Health Organization: [https://web.archive.org/web/20040915212359/http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/ Health Report 2010]</ref> According to an OECD report, Iceland devotes far more resources to healthcare than most industrialised nations. {{As of|2009}}, Iceland had 3.7 doctors per 1,000 people (compared with an average of 3.1 in OECD countries) and 15.3 nurses per 1,000 people (compared with an OECD average of 8.4).<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|
url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/21/40905007.pdf|archive-date=September 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904230310/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/21/40905007.pdf|title=OECD Health Data 2011|work=oecd.org}}</ref>

Icelanders are among the world's healthiest people, with 77% reporting they are in good health, more than the OECD average of 68%.<ref name = "Iceland – OECD Better Life Index"/> Although it is a growing problem, [[obesity]] is not as prevalent as in other [[developed countries]].<ref name = "autogenerated2"/> Iceland has many campaigns for health and wellbeing, including the famous television show ''[[LazyTown|Lazytown]]'', starring and created by former gymnastics champion [[Magnús Scheving|Magnus Scheving]]. [[Infant mortality]] is one of the lowest in the world,<ref>[http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/mortality.htm World Population Prospects, the 2010 Revision] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603014657/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/mortality.htm |date=3 June 2013}}. Esa.un.org (28 June 2011). Retrieved 28 April 2012.</ref> and the proportion of the population that smokes is lower than the OECD average.<ref name="autogenerated2"/> Almost all women choose to terminate pregnancies of children with [[Down syndrome]] in Iceland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37500189 |title=A world without Down's syndrome? |first=Alison |last=Gee |date=29 September 2016 |access-date=19 January 2017 |work=BBC News |archive-date=2 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102120434/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37500189 |url-status=live }}</ref> The average [[life expectancy]] is 81.8 (compared to an OECD average of 79.5), the fourth-highest in the world.<ref>[https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2006/WPP2006_Highlights_rev.pdf World Population Prospects The 2006 Revision] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031153622/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2006/WPP2006_Highlights_rev.pdf |date=31 October 2017 }}. United Nation (2007)</ref>

Iceland has a very low level of pollution, thanks to an overwhelming reliance on cleaner geothermal energy, a low population density, and a high level of environmental consciousness among [[citizens]].<ref>[[#Wilcox|Wilcox and Latif]], p. 19</ref> According to an OECD assessment, the amount of toxic materials in the atmosphere is far lower than in any other industrialised country measured.<ref>[http://oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/iceland/ Environment Indicators] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508153547/http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/iceland/ |date=8 May 2013 }}. Oecdbetterlifeindex.org. Retrieved 28 April 2012.</ref>

In 2023, the [[suicide]] rate in Iceland was 12.4 cases per 100,000. At the last five years, from 2019-2023 there were an average of 41 suicides per year or 11.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 October 2024 |title=Suicide and suicide prevention - annual report 2024 |url=https://island.is/en/o/directorate-of-health/news/suicide-and-suicide-prevention-annual-report-2024 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=island.is}}</ref> In 2022 the country's consumption of antidepressants was the highest in Europe.<ref name=":3" />

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Iceland}}
{| class="wikitable sortable floatright" style="font-size: 95%"
|+ Affiliation by religious movement (1 January 2018)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Samfelag/Samfelag__menning__5_trufelog/MAN10001.px |title=Populations by religious and life stance organisations 1998–2018 |work=PX-Web |publisher=Statistics Iceland |location=Reykjavík, Iceland |access-date=12 July 2018 |archive-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617220046/http://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Samfelag/Samfelag__menning__5_trufelog/MAN10001.px |url-status=live }}</ref>
! Affiliation
! colspan="2"|% of population
|-
| '''Christianity'''
|align=right| {{bartable|78.78||2||background:#2243B6}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Church of Iceland]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|67.22||2||background:#4997D0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''Other [[Lutheranism|Lutheran churches]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|5.70||2||background:#4997D0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Catholic Church in Iceland|Roman Catholic Church]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|3.85||2||background:#4997D0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|0.29||2||background:#4997D0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''Other [[Christian denomination]]s''
|align=right| {{bartable|1.72||2||background:#4997D0}}
|-
| '''Other religion or association'''
|align=right| {{bartable|14.52||2||background:#006B3C}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Germanic Heathenism]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|1.19||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association|Humanist association]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|0.67||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Zuism]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|0.55||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Buddhism]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|0.42||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Islam]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|0.30||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''[[Baháʼí Faith]]''
|align=right| {{bartable|0.10||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| ''Other and not specified''
|align=right| {{bartable|11.29||2||background:#87A96B}}
|-
| '''Unaffiliated''' 
|align=right| {{bartable|6.69||2||background:#A57164}}
|}
[[File:Staðarbakkakirkja.jpg|thumb|A church in the northwest of Iceland]]

Icelanders have freedom of religion guaranteed under the [[Constitution of Iceland|Constitution]], although the [[Church of Iceland]], a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] body, is the [[State religion|state church]]:

{{Blockquote|text=The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the State Church in Iceland and, as such, it shall be supported and protected by the State.|author=Article 62, Section IV of [[Constitution of Iceland]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of Iceland |url=http://www.government.is/constitution/ |publisher=Government of Iceland |access-date=14 October 2014 |archive-date=22 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122180852/http://www.government.is/constitution |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Approximately 80 percent of Icelanders legally affiliate with a religious denomination, a process that happens automatically at birth and from which they can choose to opt out. They also pay a church tax (sóknargjald), which the government directs to help support their registered religion, or, in the case of no religion, the University of Iceland.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Super|first=Mendel|date=March 18, 2021|title=Judaism's Frozen Frontier: Iceland Formally Recognizes Judaism|url=https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5079298/jewish/Judaisms-Frozen-Frontier-Iceland-Formally-Recognizes-Judaism.htm|access-date=April 16, 2021|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416184404/https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5079298/jewish/Judaisms-Frozen-Frontier-Iceland-Formally-Recognizes-Judaism.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Registers Iceland keeps account of the religious affiliation of every Icelandic citizen. In 2017, Icelanders were divided into religious groups as follows:
* 67.22% members of the [[Church of Iceland]];
* 11.56% members of other [[Christianity in Iceland|Christian]] denomination;
* 11.29% other religions and not specified;
* 6.69% unaffiliated;
* 1.19% members of [[Heathenism (new religious movement)|Germanic Heathen]] groups (99% of them belonging to [[Ásatrúarfélagið]]);
* 0.67% members of the [[Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association]];
* 0.55% members of [[Zuism|Zuist]] groups.

On March 8, 2021, Iceland formally recognised Judaism as a religion for the first time. Iceland's Jews will have the choice to register as such and direct their taxes to their own religion. Among other benefits, the recognition will also allow Jewish marriage, baby-naming and funeral ceremonies to be civilly recognised.<ref name=":1" />

Iceland is a very [[secular]] country; as with other Nordic nations, [[church attendance]] is relatively low.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/1997/Dec97/chr121097a |title=University of Michigan News Service |publisher=Umich.edu |date=10 December 1997 |access-date=26 January 2010 |archive-date=24 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224183224/http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/1997/Dec97/chr121097a |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iceland.is/people-and-society/Religion/ |title=Religion < People and Society < Iceland.is&nbsp;– Gateway to Iceland |publisher=Iceland.is |access-date=26 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301083304/http://www.iceland.is/people-and-society/Religion/ |archive-date=1 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The above statistics represent administrative membership of religious organisations, which does not necessarily reflect the belief demographics of the population. According to a study published in 2001, 23% of the inhabitants were either [[atheist]] or [[agnostic]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Froese |first1=Paul |year=2001 |title=Hungary for Religion: A Supply-Side Interpretation of the Hungarian Religious Revival |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=251–268 |doi=10.1111/0021-8294.00054}}</ref> A Gallup poll conducted in 2012 found that 57% of Icelanders considered themselves "religious", 31% considered themselves "non-religious", while 10% defined themselves as "convinced atheists", placing Iceland among the ten countries with the highest proportions of atheists in the world.<ref name="Religion-and-Atheism">{{cite web |url=http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/14/file/14.pdf |title=Global index of religion and atheism |access-date=10 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021065544/http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/14/file/14.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2013 }}</ref>