The rate of immigration to Iceland has been greater in the recent past than at any time in Iceland’s history, according to new figures from Statistics Iceland. According to the National Registry, Icelandic residents were 299,891 at the end of last year, but had increased to 304,334 by 1 July this year, accounting for a 1.5 percent increase. If the trend continues, the population growth will be 3 percent for the entire year. This is reported by Morgunbladid and RÚV online.
The population of Iceland grew by 2.2 percent in 2005, which was the greatest population growth in several decades. Prior to that, the annual growth had never been greater than 2 percent since the baby boom explosion following World War II. Even though the birth rate in Iceland is higher than elsewhere in Europe, the reason for the growth now is primarily immigration, according to Statistics Iceland.
