Death rate in Iceland

Iceland: Death rate was 6.74 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
6.74 deaths per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 9.3%
World rank
144th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.89 deaths per 1,000 people
in 1951
All-time low
6.09 deaths per 1,000 people
in 2001
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Death rate in Iceland, 1950–2023

02468195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 1,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for death rate in Iceland is 6.74 deaths per 1,000 people, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 9.3% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, death rate in Iceland peaked at 7.89 deaths per 1,000 people in 1951 and was at its lowest, 6.09 deaths per 1,000 people, in 2001.

Iceland ranks 144th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 7.29 deaths per 1,000 people 6.89 deaths per 1,000 people 7.89 deaths per 1,000 people 10
1960s 6.95 deaths per 1,000 people 6.68 deaths per 1,000 people 7.19 deaths per 1,000 people 10
1970s 6.77 deaths per 1,000 people 6.14 deaths per 1,000 people 7.33 deaths per 1,000 people 10
1980s 6.92 deaths per 1,000 people 6.58 deaths per 1,000 people 7.33 deaths per 1,000 people 10
1990s 6.84 deaths per 1,000 people 6.51 deaths per 1,000 people 7.34 deaths per 1,000 people 10
2000s 6.31 deaths per 1,000 people 6.09 deaths per 1,000 people 6.53 deaths per 1,000 people 10
2010s 6.47 deaths per 1,000 people 6.18 deaths per 1,000 people 6.94 deaths per 1,000 people 10
2020s 6.69 deaths per 1,000 people 6.29 deaths per 1,000 people 7.43 deaths per 1,000 people 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 141 Antigua and Barbuda 6.89 deaths per 1,000 people compare
  2. 142 Guam 6.87 deaths per 1,000 people compare
  3. 143 Ireland 6.84 deaths per 1,000 people compare
  4. 145 Burundi 6.72 deaths per 1,000 people compare
  5. 146 Kazakhstan 6.71 deaths per 1,000 people compare
  6. 147 Anguilla 6.68 deaths per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is death rate in Iceland?
Death rate in Iceland was 6.74 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest death rate recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 7.89 deaths per 1,000 people in 1951.
What is the lowest death rate recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 6.09 deaths per 1,000 people in 2001.
How does Iceland rank for death rate?
Iceland ranks 144th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is death rate rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Death rate
Unit
deaths per 1,000 people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The number of deaths in a year per 1,000 people in the population.