Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland

Iceland: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 1,662 kmsq in 2022. β–² Rising

Latest (2022)
1,662 kmsq
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
51st
of 212 countries
All-time high
1,662 kmsq
in 2022
All-time low
580.03 kmsq
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland, 2000–2022

5007501.0k1.2k1.5k1.8k2000201120222000: 580 kmsq2001: 880.6 kmsq2002: 1.2k kmsq2003: 1.5k kmsq2004: 1.4k kmsq2005: 1.4k kmsq2006: 1.4k kmsq2007: 1.4k kmsq2008: 1.4k kmsq2009: 1.4k kmsq2010: 1.4k kmsq2011: 1.4k kmsq2012: 1.4k kmsq2013: 1.4k kmsq2014: 1.5k kmsq2015: 1.5k kmsq2016: 1.5k kmsq2017: 1.5k kmsq2018: 1.5k kmsq2019: 1.5k kmsq2020: 1.5k kmsq2021: 1.6k kmsq2022: 1.7k kmsq

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in kmsq.

Analysis

The most recent figure for lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland is 1,662 kmsq, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland peaked at 1,662 kmsq in 2022 and was at its lowest, 580.03 kmsq, in 2000.

Iceland ranks 51st of 212 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,260 kmsq 580.03 kmsq 1,461 kmsq 10
2010s 1,467 kmsq 1,423 kmsq 1,524 kmsq 10
2020s 1,602 kmsq 1,538 kmsq 1,662 kmsq 3

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 48 Ecuador 1,746 kmsq compare
  2. 49 Romania 1,679 kmsq compare
  3. 49 Saint Helena 0.2 kmsq compare
  4. 50 Cook Islands 0.1572 kmsq compare
  5. 50 Nigeria 1,664 kmsq compare
  6. 51 Niue 0.1085 kmsq compare
  7. 52 Chad 1,649 kmsq compare
  8. 52 Montserrat, United Kingdom-British Overseas Territory 0.0114 kmsq compare
  9. 53 Bangladesh 1,633 kmsq compare
  10. 54 Congo, Republic of 1,617 kmsq compare

See the full ranking of 277 places β†’

More environment data for Iceland

All data for Iceland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland was 1,662 kmsq in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 1,662 kmsq in 2022.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 580.03 kmsq in 2000.
How does Iceland rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Iceland ranks 51st out of 212 countries with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres)
Unit
kmsq
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
277 places, 6,369 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed