Land use in Iceland
Iceland: Land use was 121,000 hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
121,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
153rd
of 223 countries
All-time high
136,000 hectares
in 1990
All-time low
120,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Iceland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 121,000 hectares for land use in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Iceland peaked at 136,000 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 120,000 hectares, in 1961.
That places Iceland 153rd out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 120,000 hectares | 120,000 hectares | 120,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 125,800 hectares | 121,000 hectares | 131,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 134,200 hectares | 133,000 hectares | 135,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 133,900 hectares | 129,000 hectares | 136,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 127,700 hectares | 124,000 hectares | 129,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 121,380 hectares | 121,000 hectares | 123,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 121,000 hectares | 121,000 hectares | 121,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 4.28 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.08 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.2793 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0015 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0001 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 0.4807 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0021 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.194 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Iceland?
- Land use in Iceland was 121,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 136,000 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 120,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Iceland rank for land use?
- Iceland ranks 153rd out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).