Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland
Iceland: Lakes and rivers seasonal water area was 0.2% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2022, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland stood at 0.2%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is up 37.0% on the previous year and up 1,690.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland peaked at 0.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2000.
That places Iceland 147th out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.0% | — |
| 2001 | 0.0% | +71.6% |
| 2002 | 0.0% | +37.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | +28.9% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -10.8% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | -12.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.0% | -9.0% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 0.0% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 0.0% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 0.0% | +14.9% |
| 2014 | 0.0% | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 0.0% | +9.1% |
| 2016 | 0.0% | +15.5% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +159.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +51.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +29.3% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | +19.6% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +40.9% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | +37.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.3%, 84% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +159.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Agricultural Use, gaps filled 1,950 t (2024)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Agricultural Use, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Country area — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Country area — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Country area — Area, per capita 0.0266 1000 ha per person (2024)
- Land area — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland?
- Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Iceland was 0.2% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2000.
- How does Iceland rank for lakes and rivers seasonal water area?
- Iceland ranks 147th out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers seasonal water area rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,690.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 seasonal water area (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).