National / Regional Profiles
Included Nations/Regions: Iceland [x], Northern Europe [x], The World [x]
Religion and State (RAS) Indexes1
Religion Indexes (Iceland)
|
State Funding of Religion Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 13/253 |
Societal Discrimination of Minority Religions Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 100/253 |
State Regulation of Majority or All Religions Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 116/253 |
State Discrimination of Minority Religions Summary categories: None (0/3), Low (1/3), Medium (2/3), High (3/3) Ranking: 109/253 |
Iceland: Major World Religions (1900 - 2050) (World Religion Database, 2020)2
The following groups with less than 1% of the population were hidden from this graph: Baha'is, Buddhists, Ethnic religionists, Hindus, Muslims, New religionists, Sikhs, Spiritists.
Iceland: Largest Religious Groups (1900 - 2050) (World Religion Database, 2020)2
The following groups with less than 1% of the population were hidden from this graph: Atheists, doubly-affiliated, Orthodox, Saktists, Shaivites, Sunnis, Theravadins, Vaishnavites.
Religious Adherents (World Religion Database 2020)2
| Religion | Iceland [x] |
Northern Europe [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baha'is | 0.19% | 0.05% | 0.11% |
| Buddhists | 0.17% | 0.31% | 6.83% |
| --Mahayanists | --- | 0.19% | 4.89% |
| --Theravadins | 0.17% | 0.07% | 1.72% |
| --Lamaists | --- | 0.05% | 0.23% |
| Chinese folk-religionists | --- | 0.07% | 5.98% |
| Christians | 92.98% | 70.50% | 32.16% |
| --unaffiliated Christians | 2.93% | 10.39% | 1.46% |
| --Orthodox | 0.29% | 1.49% | 3.75% |
| --Catholics | 3.81% | 12.30% | 15.90% |
| --Protestants | 79.41% | 43.97% | 7.51% |
| --Independents | 6.83% | 2.89% | 5.00% |
| Daoists | --- | --- | 0.11% |
| Confucianists | --- | 0.01% | 0.11% |
| Ethnic religionists | 0.00% | 0.04% | 3.65% |
| Hindus | 0.26% | 0.69% | 13.58% |
| --Vaishnavites | 0.09% | 0.17% | 5.15% |
| --Shaivites | 0.09% | 0.25% | 4.86% |
| --Saktists | 0.09% | 0.27% | 3.57% |
| Jains | --- | 0.02% | 0.08% |
| Jews | --- | 0.30% | 0.19% |
| Muslims | 0.17% | 5.53% | 24.20% |
| --Sunnis | 0.17% | 5.05% | 21.56% |
| --Shias | --- | 0.46% | 2.44% |
| --Islamic schismatics | --- | 0.02% | 0.21% |
| New religionists | 0.74% | 0.09% | 0.85% |
| Shintoists | --- | --- | 0.04% |
| Sikhs | 0.03% | 0.55% | 0.34% |
| Spiritists | 0.46% | 0.08% | 0.19% |
| Zoroastrians | --- | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Non-Religious | 4.99% | 21.75% | 11.57% |
| --Agnostics | 4.61% | 19.41% | 9.65% |
| --Atheists | 0.38% | 2.33% | 1.92% |
Religious demographics (Iceland)3
The country has an area of 39,600 square miles and a population of 300,000. Reykjavik and its environs are home to approximately 60 percent of the population.
According to the National Statistical Bureau, 252,461 persons (81 percent of the population) are members of the state Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC). In 2007, 1,685 individuals resigned from the church, as against 201 new registrants other than infants baptized. Many of those who resigned joined one of the organizationally and financially independent Lutheran Free Churches, which has a total membership of 15,290 (4.9 percent of the population). A total of 16,883 persons (5.4 percent) are members of 26 other small recognized and registered religious organizations ranging from the Roman Catholic Church (7,977 members) to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification(4 members). There are 19,524 individuals (6.2 percent) who belong to other or unspecified religious organizations and 8,714 (2.8 percent) who are not members of any religious organization. There are also religions, such as Judaism, that have been practiced in the country for years but whose members have never requested official recognition. The National Statistical Bureau does not keep track of Jewish community numbers, and there is no synagogue or Jewish cultural center; however, up to 60 persons attend occasional Jewish events and activities organized by a few Jewish immigrants.
Although the majority of citizens use traditional Lutheran rituals to mark events such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals, most Lutherans do not regularly attend Sunday services.
The number of foreigners receiving residence permits increased significantly during the past several years. In direct relation to the increase in foreigners (itinerant workers, immigrants, and refugees), the number of religious organizations significantly increased. Foreigners constitute an estimated 80 percent of the Roman Catholic population. The Roman Catholic Church in Iceland estimated that registered totals may only capture half of the actual number of Catholics in the country. The Reykjavik Catholic Church holds one weekly English-language service, and a number of Poles, Filipinos, and Lithuanians attend. Services are also conducted in other languages in other Catholic churches and chapels in other areas. A growing number of Poles, served by four Polish priests, live in the country, working in the fishing and shipbuilding industries. In addition to Icelandic priests, the Catholic Church employs priests from Argentina, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. Since there are few Catholic churches outside of Reykjavik, Lutheran ministers regularly lend their churches to Catholic priests so that they can conduct Masses for members in rural areas.
The Association of Muslims in Iceland (Felag Muslima a Islandi), founded in 1997, has 371 members (out of approximately 800 to 1,000 Muslims living in the country, according to the association). Muslims are concentrated in the capital area (although there are a number of Kosovar Muslim refugees in the small northern town of Dalvik). Since 2002 the community has had its own house of worship, with daily prayer nights and weekly Friday prayers that attract a core group of approximately 30-50 individuals.
Summary Information |
Iceland [x] |
Northern Europe [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Northern Europe | The World | -- |
| Total Population4 | 331,577 | 101,396,610 | 7,335,774,068 |
| Area in square miles | 39,769 | 699,221 | 196,939,900 |
| Life Expectancy from birth, in years5 | 82.9 | 80.2 | 71.9 |
| Gross National Income per capita, in current international dollars5 | 52,490.0 | 44,226.0 | 16,101.0 |
| Description of Polity Score6 | -- | -- | -- |
| Judicial Independence Composite Score, as average of scores for higher and lower courts7 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Official Religion(s)8 | Lutheranism | -- | -- |
Religion and the State
Religion and State Collection (2014) |
Iceland [x] |
|---|---|
| Is proselytizing Legal?1 | Yes |
| Is religious registration someties denied?1 | There is no registration requirement |
| What are the consequences of registration?1 | Groups need not register but registration is allowed or encouraged. This encouragement may include benefits given only to registered religions. |
| Official Support: The formal relationship between religion and state.1 | Active State Religion |
| The extent to which religious education is mandatory in public schools.1 | Mandatory, but upon specific request, a student may opt out of the course. |
| The extent to which funding is exclusive to one or a few religions.1 | Government funding of religion goes primarily to one religion but at least some other religions receive some funds. |
| The extent to which there are religious requirements and oaths for holding office.1 | There are no religious requirements or oaths necessary in order to hold office. |
Constitutional Features [ View Excerpts]
Features of Constitution |
Iceland [x] |
|---|---|
| Is there a constitution?9 | Yes |
| Does the constitution state an official religion?10 | yes [ Article 62 ] |
| Does the constitution provide for freedom of religion?10 | yes [ Article 63 ] |
| Does the constitution protect religious equality/non-discrimination?10 | yes [ Articles 64, 65 ] |
Constitution |
Iceland [x] |
|---|---|
| Constitution Year10 | 1944 |
| Last Amended10 | 2013 |
| Source10 | Constitute Project |
| Translation10 | Source is an English translation, edited by ARDA staff. |
| Current as of10 | July 31, 2018 |
Public Opinion (Iceland)(Calculated by the ARDA from the World Values Survey)11 |
1984 | 1990 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religious Affiliation/Identification | |||
| Percent belonging to a religious denomination. | 98.7 | 97.9 | 95.7 |
| Percent identifying as a religious person. | 68.4 | 74.7 | 73.9 |
| Percent raised religious. | --- | 76 | --- |
| Religious Behaviors | |||
| Percent attending religious services at least once a month. | 10.7 | 9.4 | 12 |
| Percent praying to God more than once per week. | --- | --- | 36.5 |
| Percent that meditate or pray. | 43.7 | 45.7 | 53.8 |
| Percent attending religious services at least once a month when 12 years old. | --- | --- | 31.2 |
| Percent that changed denominations. | --- | --- | 6 |
| Percent active in a church or religious organization. | --- | --- | 38.4 |
| Religious Beliefs | |||
| Percent believing in God. | 81.4 | 85.1 | 84.4 |
| Percent believing in heaven. | 58.4 | 57.3 | 58.7 |
| Percent believing in hell. | 12.7 | 12 | 17.5 |
| Percent believing in life after death. | 82 | 80.7 | 78.2 |
| Percent believing that there are clear guidelines on good and evil. | 9.6 | 11.1 | 9 |
| Percent believing that politicians who do not believe in God are unfit for public office. | --- | --- | 9.4 |
| Percent believing that religious leaders should not influence people's vote. | --- | --- | 81.3 |
| Percent believing that things would be better if there are more people with strong religious beliefs. | --- | --- | 14.3 |
| Percent that think that religious faith is an important quality in children | 55.2 | 57.5 | 53.7 |
| Percent that agree: We depend too much on science and not enough on faith | 38.6 | 39.5 | 45 |
| Percent believing church gives answers to people's spiritual needs. | 40.2 | 36.8 | 40.4 |
| Percent that do not trust people of other religions | --- | 24.1 | 28 |
| Percent believing church gives answers on family life problems. | --- | --- | 14.8 |
| Percent believing churches give answers to moral problems. | 86.6 | 88.1 | --- |
| Percent that often think about meaning and purpose of life | 69.2 | 70.2 | 64.3 |
| Percent believing churches give answers to social problems. | --- | 92.9 | 91.1 |
| Percent believing that religious leaders should influence the government. | --- | 67.1 | 74.4 |
| Percent believing that people have a soul. | --- | 65.7 | 67.1 |
| Percent believing in the concept of sin. | 18.2 | 51.3 | 51.3 |
| Percent believing religious services are important for deaths. | --- | --- | 61.1 |
| Percent believing religious services are important for births. | 31.3 | 39.5 | 41.1 |
| Percent believing religious services are important for marriages. | 15.4 | 19 | --- |
| Religious Experiences | |||
| Percent finding comfort and strength from religion. | 75.8 | 74.7 | 74.7 |
| Percent saying that they have a lucky charm. | --- | --- | 13.4 |
| Percent considering that a lucky charm definitely does not provide protection. | --- | --- | 47 |
| Attitudes | |||
| Percent considering religion important. | --- | 56.2 | 55.3 |
| Percent considering that God is not at all important in their life. | 8.2 | 7.4 | 9 |
| Percent confident in religious organizations. | 71.3 | 67.9 | 64.6 |
| Politics | |||
| Percent thinking that churches have an influence on national politics. | --- | --- | 37 |
Socio-Economic Measures
Education |
Iceland [x] |
Northern Europe [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Literacy Rate, in percentage of adult population13 | 99.0 | 99.3 | 86.2 |
| Net Primary School Enrollment Rate, in percentage of population of official school age5 | 99.1 | 98.0 | 89.6 |
| Net Secondary School Enrollment Rate, in percentage of population of official school age5 | 87.7 | 95.9 | 65.1 |
Economic Measures |
Iceland [x] |
Northern Europe [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Domestic Product, in billions of current U.S. Dollars5 | 20.0 | 4,497.4 | 75,845.1 |
| Imports, in million current-year U.S. dollars14 | 8,554.6 | 1,710,974.9 | 20,150,355.0 |
| Exports, in million current-year U.S. dollars14 | 9,869.6 | 1,766,165.5 | 20,790,015.7 |
| Economic Freedom Index, scaled from 0 min to 100 max15 | 74.4 | 75.6 | 62.9 |
| Human Development Index16 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| 2013 Gender Inequality Index (GII)17 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Gross National Income per capita, in current international dollars5 | 52,490.0 | 44,226.0 | 16,101.0 |
Military Measures |
Iceland [x] |
Northern Europe [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composite Index of National Capability, in fraction of 118 | 0.0000308 | 0.0023169 | 0.005162584 |
| 2012 Military expenditure (% of GDP)5 | 0.1 | 1.8 | -- |
Demographic and Health Measures |
Iceland [x] |
Northern Europe [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population4 | 331,577 | 101,396,610 | 7,335,774,068 |
| Life Expectancy from birth, in years5 | 82.9 | 80.2 | 71.9 |
| 2012 Net Migration Rate (migrants per 1,000 population)5 | 5.4 | 1,395.7 | -- |
| Urban Percentage of Total Population14 | 94.2 | 81.4 | 54.3 |
| Urban Population Growth, by percentage14 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Fertility Rate, in total births per woman14 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| Infant Mortality Rate, in deaths per 1000 live births14 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 30.5 |
| HIV Prevalence, in percentage of population ages 15-49 with HIV14 | -- | -- | 0.8 |
Other Measures on Religion, State, and Society
Constitution Clauses Related to Religion
Constitution Excerpts (clauses that reference religion) (Iceland)10
Article 62.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the State Church in Iceland and, as such, it shall be supported and protected by the State.
This may be amended by law.
Article 63.
All persons have the right to form religious associations and to practice their religion in conformity with their individual convictions. Nothing may however be preached or practised which is prejudicial to good morals or public order.
Article 64.
No one may lose any of his civil or national rights on account of his religion, nor may anyone refuse to perform any generally applicable civil duty on religious grounds.
Everyone shall be free to remain outside religious associations. No one shall be obliged to pay any personal dues to any religious association of which he is not a member.
A person who is not a member of any religious association shall pay to the University of Iceland the dues that he would have had to pay to such an association, if he had been a member. This may be amended by law.
Article 65.
Everyone shall be equal before the law and enjoy human rights irrespective of ... religion ...
...
Article 79.
If the Althing [Parliament] passes an amendment to the status of the Church under Article 62, it shall be submitted to a vote for approval or rejection by secret ballot of all those eligible to vote.
Variable Details
Sources
1 The Religion and State (RAS) Project is a university-based project located at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel and is directed by Jonathan Fox. Round 3 of the RAS includes all countries with populations of 250,000 or more as well as a sampling of smaller states and offers annual measures from 1990 to 2014. The methods used for conducting the RAS3 collection and the complete codebook can be reviewed online. Or, the codebook and data file can be downloaded free of charge here. For details on how the RAS indexes reported on the ARDA’s National Profiles were coded, constructed, and placed into categories, click here.2 Todd M. Johnson and Brian J. Grim, eds. World Religion Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2022).
3 The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report is submitted to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It includes individual country chapters on the status of religious freedom worldwide. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. These State Department reports are open source.
4 The Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project: Demographics reports the estimates of religious demographics, both country by country and region by region. The RCS was created to fulfill the unmet need for a dataset on the religious dimensions of countries of the world, with the state-year as the unit of observation. It estimates populations and percentages of adherents of 100 religious denominations including second level subdivision within Christianity and Islam. The RCS Data Project would like to acknowledge, recognize, and express our deepest gratitude for the significant contributions of Todd M. Johnson the co-principal investigator of the World Religion Database.
5 Relying on agencies from each country, as well as a synthesis of data from United Nations divisions, Eurostate Demographic statistics, the U.S. Census international database, and its own data collection, the World Bank's Open Data site offers free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
6 The Center for Systemic Peace (CSP) is engaged in innovative research on the problem of political violence within the structural context of the dynamic global system. The Center supports scientific research and quantitative analysis in many issue areas related to the fundamental problems of violence in both human relations and societal-systemic development processes. The Center continually monitors political behavior in each of the world's major states and reports on emerging issues and persisting conditions related to the problems of political violence and "state failure." A dataset with these and other international measures can be downloaded from here. Used with permission. *Note: Polity Scores range from -10 to 10 and include the following categories: -10 to -9: strongly autocratic, -8 to -7 autocratic, -6 to -4 weakly autocratic, -3 to +3 anocratic, +4 to +6 weakly democratic, +7 to +8 democratic, +9 to +10 strongly democratic.
7 Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a new approach to conceptualizing and measuring democracy. V-Dem provides a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that reflects the complexity of the concept of democracy as a system of rule that goes beyond simple presence of elections. The V-Dem project distinguishes between seven high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, egalitarian, majoritarian, and consensual, and collects data to measure these principles. A dataset with these and other international measures can be downloaded from here. Used with permission.
8 The Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project: Government Religious Preference (GRP) measures government-level favoritism toward, and disfavor against, 30 religious denominations. A series of ordered categorical variables index the state's institutional favoritism in 28 different ways. The variables are combined to form five composite indices for five broad components of state-religion: official status, religious education, financial support, regulatory burdens, and freedom of practice. The five components' composites in turn are further combined into a single composite score, the GRP score. The RCS Data Project would like to acknowledge, recognize, and express our deepest gratitude for the significant contributions of Todd M. Johnson, the principal investigator of the World Christian Database, the co-principal investigator of the World Religion Database, and co-author of the World Christian Encyclopedia series.
9 Data under the "Features of Constitution" heading are drawn from coding of the U.S. State Department's 2008 International Religious Freedom Reports conducted by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the International Religious Freedom reports. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
10 Text from country constitutions was copied from primary documents obtained online using a variety of sources, including the Constitute Project, World Constitutions Illustrated, and government sources. When the text was in a language other than English, it was translated to English by ARDA staff or with web-based translation utilities such as Google Translate. Emphases were added to the text by ARDA staff to differentiate religious content from non-religious content. Text is current to the date listed in the "Current as of" field shown above. Please contact us at
11 The World Values Survey is a worldwide investigation of socio-cultural and political change. It is conducted by a network of social scientists at leading universities around the world. Interviews have been carried out with nationally representative samples of the publics of more than 80 societies. A total of four waves have been carried out since 1981. The ARDA has averaged the weighted responses across the waves for each country surveyed. The average responses for all countries have been placed in a single file and can be previewed and downloaded here. See the World Values Survey website for further information and to download the original survey data: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/.
12 Freedom House is an independent non-governmental organization that offers measures of the extent to which governments are accountable to their own people; the rule of law prevails; and freedoms of expression, association, belief and respect for the rights of minorities and women are guaranteed. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
13 The CIA's World Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the now defunct National Intelligence Survey (NIS) studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The year 2010 marks the 67th year of the World Factbook and its predecessor programs. The maps and flags are also from the World Factbook, which is an open source.
14 Relying on agencies from each country, as well as a synthesis of data from United Nations divisions, Eurostate Demographic statistics, the U.S. Census international database, and its own data collection, the World Bank's Open Data site offers free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
15 The Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom is a systematic, empirical measurement of economic freedom in countries throughout the world. A set of objective economic criteria are used to study and grade various countries for the annual publication of the Index of Economic Freedom. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
16 The United Nations Human Development Reports provide data and statistical analysis in various areas of human development. The Human Development Report (HDR) presents two types of statistics: the human development indicator tables, which provide a global assessment of country achievements in different areas of human development, and thematic statistical analysis. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
17 The 2013 Gender Inequality Index is a composite measure reflecting inequality in achievements between women and men in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market. It varies between zero (when women and men fare equally) and one (when men or women fare poorly compared to the other in all dimensions). The health dimension is measured by two indicators: maternal mortality ratio and the adolescent fertility rate. The empowerment dimension is also measured by two indicators: the share of parliamentary seats held by each sex and by secondary and higher education attainment levels. The labor dimension is measured by women’s participation in the work force. Source: The United Nations Human Development Reports provide data and statistical analysis in various areas of human development. The Human Development Report (HDR) presents two types of statistics: the human development indicator tables, which provide a global assessment of country achievements in different areas of human development, and thematic statistical analysis. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
18 Military data is drawn from the National Material Capabilities (v4.0) dataset, which is a component of and hosted by the Correlates of War Project. The Correlates of War Project seeks to facilitate the collection, dissemination, and use of accurate and reliable quantitative data in international relations. Correlates of War data may be accessed through the above link. Used with permission.
19 The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom reports. The 2003, 2005, and 2008 reports were coded by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The GRI, GFI and SRI values reported on the National Profiles are averages from the 2003, 2005, and 2008 International Religious Freedom reports, while the Religious Persecution measure is an average from the 2005 and 2008 reports. All other measures derived from the International Religious Freedom reports were coded from the reports 2008. A data file with all of the 2008 coding, as well as data files with other cross national collections are available for preview and download from the data archive on this site. Used with permission.
20 The Cingranelli-Richards (CIRI) Human Rights Dataset contains standards-based quantitative information on government respect for 15 internationally recognized human rights for 202 countries, annually from 1981-2011. It is designed for use by scholars and students who seek to test theories about the causes and consequences of human rights violations, as well as policy makers and analysts who seek to estimate the human rights effects of a wide variety of institutional changes and public policies including democratization, economic aid, military aid, structural adjustment, and humanitarian intervention. The full CIRI Human Rights Dataset can be accessed through the above link. Used with permission.
