For the first time since the second half of the 19th century the population of rural areas in Iceland has registered an increased. According to the latest population statistics from Statistics Iceland the number of Icelanders who live in rural areas, at farms and other residences outside villages or towns, was 17,891 an increase of nearly 1,300 since 2011. The total population of Iceland was 348,450 at the end of 2017.
Read more: A new village built in Öræfi district, S.E. Iceland. Population has grown due to tourism
The rural population of Iceland has registered a steady and uninterrupted declined since the second half of the 19th century when the growth of the fishing industry led to the growth of small fishing towns along the coast. The rapid urbanization of Iceland then really took off shortly after the turn of the century 1900 with the rapid growth of the trawling industry in larger towns, most importantly Reykjavík.
A professor of Sociology at the University of Iceland told the National Broadcasting Service RÚV that tourism is the most likely reason for the turnaround. The tourism industry, he pointed out, has created a number of new jobs in rural areas. New businesses have sprung up in areas where agriculture had previously been the only or dominant form of employment, creating new opportunities for young people.
For the first time since the second half of the 19th century the population of rural areas in Iceland has registered an increased. According to the latest population statistics from Statistics Iceland the number of Icelanders who live in rural areas, at farms and other residences outside villages or towns, was 17,891 an increase of nearly 1,300 since 2011. The total population of Iceland was 348,450 at the end of 2017.
Read more: A new village built in Öræfi district, S.E. Iceland. Population has grown due to tourism
The rural population of Iceland has registered a steady and uninterrupted declined since the second half of the 19th century when the growth of the fishing industry led to the growth of small fishing towns along the coast. The rapid urbanization of Iceland then really took off shortly after the turn of the century 1900 with the rapid growth of the trawling industry in larger towns, most importantly Reykjavík.
A professor of Sociology at the University of Iceland told the National Broadcasting Service RÚV that tourism is the most likely reason for the turnaround. The tourism industry, he pointed out, has created a number of new jobs in rural areas. New businesses have sprung up in areas where agriculture had previously been the only or dominant form of employment, creating new opportunities for young people.
