Another 5% are registered in other Christian denominations, including the Free Church of Iceland and the Roman Catholic Church. A new … Starting in the 1530s, Iceland, originally Catholic and under the Danish crown, formally switched to Lutheranism with the Icelandic Reformation, which culminated in 1550. 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. In 1538, the "Church Ordinance" (the royal invitation to convert) was put before the two bishops Øgmundur and Jón at the Althing, but it was rejected. [2] Freedom of religion has been granted to the Icelanders since 1874. One genetic study of Icelanders found most men were of Nordic origin while most women were of Gaelic origin. 91.1% of the residents of Iceland are Icelandic citizens and 15.7% are foreign-born.[1][2]. 1.01 males: 1 female [19], Since the end of the 19th century, Iceland has been more open to new religious ideas than many other European countries. However… Bishop Gissur, who was ordained by the Danish bishop Peder Palladius, reorganised the church in his diocese according to Lutheran principles, including the suppression of Catholic ceremonies and the exhortation of clergy marriage. What is then the status of Religion in Iceland nowadays? It is similar to the Norwegian Humanist Association, and like it is recognised as a life stance community by the state since 2013, and therefore can receive funds from the state. The 18th century was marked by great economic hardship, and by 1801 the population had declined to 47,240. The most popular deity was apparently Thor, whom the Icelanders worshipped in the form of high pillars; poets worshipped Odin, as highlighted by Hallfreðr Vandræðaskáld, the Landnámabók and the Eyrbyggja saga. Institutional opposition to the Reformation had now vanished, so that church properties were secularised and churches and monasteries were plundered. "[21], A 2017 study looking at individuals going to the capital area for higher education found that "Only about one in three [University of Iceland] students from regions beyond commuting distance return after graduation, while about half remain in the capital area and others mostly emigrate. They founded Ásatrúarfélagið (the Ásatrú Society) and asked the Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs to recognise the new organisation, giving its chief priest the same legal status as a Christian pastor. At first, it was maintained the right for people to sacrifice to the old gods in private, though it was punishable if witnesses were provided. [10] Among the first settlers, the vast majority were worshippers of the Germanic gods, and organised Christianity probably died out in one or two generations. However, Denmark did not officially recognize Iceland as its own nation until 1918. According to data from 2018, Iceland has five religious congregations where the number of members includes 1% of the population or more. Large numbers of Icelanders began to emigrate from Iceland in the 1850s. [28], There are very few Baptists in Iceland, members of churches such as the First Baptist Church and the Emmanuel Baptist Church (both with 35 members in 2019[1]) and the Upstairs Room (Loftstofan) Baptist Church. “ ‘We Blend in with the Crowd but They Don’t’: (In)visibility and Icelandic Migrants in Norway.”. Iceland was founded more than 1,000 years ago during the Viking age of exploration and settled by a mixed Norse and Celtic population. [18], Due to a shortage of labor,[19] immigration to Iceland will most likely increase in the future. 0–14 years: Nothing may however be preached or practised which is prejudicial to good morals or public order. 99% of the nation's inhabitants live in urban areas (localities with populations greater than 200) and 60% live in the Capital Region. This was partly due to the late beginning of emigration from Iceland after the Canadian authorities had begun to promote emigration in cooperation with the Allan Line, which already had an agent in Iceland in 1873. Understanding these factors about some specific locations, help individuals from other locations truly define other locations. This is an increase of 0.70 % (2,374 people) compared to population of 337,703 the year before. Being ‘the Damned Foreigner’: Affective National Sentiments and Racialization of Lithuanians in Iceland. He entrusted Oddur Gottskálksson with the translation of German sermons, and he himself translated parts of the Old Testament and the Church Ordinance. Although most Icelanders deplored the persecutions of Jews during the Second World War, they usually refused entry to Jews who were fleeing Nazi Germany, so the Jewish population did not rise much during the war.[34]. Data according to Statistics Iceland, which collects the official statistics for Iceland. Iceland - Iceland - Demographic trends: The first comprehensive census in Iceland was taken in 1703, at which time 50,358 people were reported. Less than half of Icelanders claim they are religious and more than 40% of young Icelanders identify as atheist. The population of Iceland since settlement times has probably wavered between about 30,000 and 80,000. Icelanders generally tended to syncretism, integrating Jesus Christ among their deities rather than converting to the Christian doctrine. ), at birth: 1.05 males: 1 female One notable Icelander who has an inherited family name is football star Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen. Statistics Iceland began publishing figures on migration in 1961, before which the main source of information on migration was censuses. Demographics of Iceland 2019. ), Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 69.9%, Roman Catholic 3.8%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.9%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 2%, Asatru Association 1.1%, The Independent Congregation 1%, other religions 4% (includes Zuist and Pentecostal), none 6.1%, other or unspecified 9.2% (2017 est. They were unsuccessful and even had a clash with pagans at the Althing, killing two men. The able and energetic Gudbrandur Thorláksson, bishop of Hólar from 1571 to 1627, devoted his energies in improving church literature, clergy training and community education. [13] In that year, Christianity was still a minority in Iceland, while the belief in the Germanic religion was strong. However, it took many decades for Lutheranism to be firmly established in Iceland. Until the end of 1985 figures on migration were processed once per year, thus all persons who moved residence over the course of … Gunnar J. Gunnarsson, Gunnar E. Finnbogason, Hanna Ragnarsdóttir and Halla Jónsdóttir. [8] In the mid-1990s, 95% of Icelanders had parents of Icelandic origin, and 2% of Icelandic inhabitants were first-generation immigrants (born abroad with both parents foreign-born and all grandparents foreign-born). Recent DNA analysis suggests that around 66 percent of the male settler-era population was of Norse ancestry, whereas the female population was 60 percent Celtic. There are not 301,931 buddists in Iceland in 2007 as claimed on this page. Agnostics accept the possibility of faiths being wrong or right and these two ideologies (Atheism and Agnosticism) have been on the rise in the west as technological advancements are being made. There began a slow increase in the 19th century, and by 1901 the population had risen to nearly 80,000. As of 2019, 80.17% of the Icelanders were affiliated with some religion officially recognised by the government and listed in the civil registry, 13.02% were members of some unspecified other religions not registered within the civil registry, and 6.96% were unaffiliated with any religion. 65 years and over: A net total of around 15,000 individuals amount to roughly 20% of the Icelandic population in 1887. No one shall be obliged to pay any personal dues to any religious association of which he is not a member. The goðar were part-time priests who officiated ritual sacrifices at the local temple and had some qualities of the Germanic kings; they organised local things and represented them at the Althing. The Icelandic thing developed peculiar characteristics; in place of the loyalty to a holy king, the Icelanders established the loyalty to a law code, first composed by Úlfljót who studied Norwegian laws. Iceland exported fresh fish to Britain and salted cod to southern Europe, with Portugal an important export market. Sikhism has a small and relatively recent community in Iceland. [1], As of 2019, 0.18% of the Icelanders were registered as members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Iceland's largest ethnic minority comprises Polish immigrants in Iceland. The "things" were assemblies of free men who governed Germanic societies, and they were led by a holy kingship. The Landnámabók gives the names of Christian settlers, including an influential woman named Aud the Deep-Minded. It is recorded in the Eyrbyggja saga that as Norway was being Christianised, a pagan temple was dismantled there to be reassembled in Iceland. See also. The largest of these groups are the Roman Catholics (4,803 members) and the Pentecostal Church (1,630 members), Seventh-Day Adventists (725 … [29], Eastern Orthodox Christianity has a presence in Iceland with the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. [20] Estimates show that the number of immigrants could be as high as 15% of the total population by 2030.[20]. [1] It was introduced by the American Amelia Collins (later recognized as a prominent Baháʼí Hand of the Cause) in 1924; the first Icelander who converted was a woman named Hólmfríður Árnadóttir. Today paganism consists of .97% of their population while over 70% of the country is Christian with 12% being Atheist or Agnostic. Capital Reykjavik Population (2010) 320,000 Annual population growth rate (2000-2010) 1.3% Population gain (2000-2010) 39,000 GDP per capita $36,510 (US) Literacy Reykjavik is the largest settlement in Iceland, with people from over 100 countries calling the city home. 80.9 years Together they comprised about 0.31% of the population of Iceland. 55–64 years: It is worth noting that the completeness of the National Registry eliminates any need for census to be performed. [11], The adoption of Christianity—which then was still identical to the Catholic Church—as the state religion (kristnitaka, literally the "taking of Christianity"[12]), and therefore the formal conversion of the entire population, was decided by the Althing in 999/1000,[9] pushed by the king of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason. Theosophical Society's building in Reykjavík. Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, “Competences for Active Communication and Participation in Diverse Societies: Views of Young People in Iceland.” In, https://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Ibuar/Ibuar__mannfjoldi__3_bakgrunnur__Faedingarland/MAN12103.px/?rxid=92af00af-93d6-4d06-9be0-3a88f29ad64f, "mtDNA and the Islands of the North Atlantic: Estimating the Proportions of Norse and Gaelic Ancestry", "mtDNA and the Origin of the Icelanders: Deciphering Signals of Recent Population History". [4][5] Iceland remained extremely homogenous from Settlement until the twentieth century. Collectively they accounted for 0.41% of the Icelanders as of 2019. 93.9% of Icelanders younger than 25 believed the world was created in the Iceland sent a delegation, belonging to the Christian faction, to obtain the release of the hostages and promise the conversion of the country to Christianity. Interior of the Lutheran cathedral of Skálholt. The religion was recognized by the government in 1966, and an Iceland National Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1972. One of the first, if not first, Sikh in Iceland was Manjit Singh. 14.42% (male 22,963/female 26,053) (2017 est. [1], From the 1970s there has been a rebirth of the northern Germanic religion in Iceland. Reykjavík Free Church building in the foreground, and the Hallgrímskirkja in the background. [1] It is a reinstitution of the Sumerian religion, and Zuists worship An (the supreme God of Heaven), Ki (the Earth), as well as Enlil and Enki, Nanna (the Moon) and Utu (the Sun), Inanna (Venus), Marduk (Jupiter), Nabu (Mercury), Nergal (Mars), Ninurta (Saturn), and Dumuzi. 39.88% (male 68,579/female 66,899) However, some Christians had acquired high positions in the goðorð system and therefore considerable power in the Althing. The two bishops, who were not well versed in theology but were men of great power, were in conflict with one another and threatened open conflict. [11][12] There is some evidence that racism is not as acute in Iceland as in neighbouring countries. The Orthodox Church of Finland is the second largest religious community. Thus it has little in common with traditional surnames except for its position after the given name. When Scandinavians began to arrive in larger numbers, the anchorites left of their own or were driven out. The growth of the fishing industry then created demand for capital, and in 1885 Parliament created the first state bank (Landsbanki). This may be amended by law. [9][10], Immigration to Iceland rose rapidly in the late twentieth century, encouraged by Iceland's accession to the European Economic Area in 1994, its entry into the Schengen Agreement in 2001, and the country's early twenty-first century economic boom. For many countries and locations, there are different practices that have become archaic and obsolete. It is legally possible in Iceland to rework the patronymic into a matronymic, replacing the father's name with the mother's. See here in Icelands goverments official page: Iceland has had the highest agriculture, value added > current US$ per capita since 1976. [17] For example, Iceland has a higher dropout rate from upper secondary school among young immigrants than the EEA average. These developments set the stage for the urbanisation that was to follow in the twentieth century. The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated. Immigrants in the population Finnish | English. "[22], In 2016, 71.6% of the population belonged to the state church (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland), approximately 5% in free churches, 3.7% to the Roman Catholic Church, approximately 1% to the Ásatrúarfélagið (a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland), approximately 1% to Zuism, 8% in unrecognized or unspecified religious groups, and 19% do not belong to any religious group.[23]. Iceland ranked first for life expectancy at birth, male > years amongst Christian countries in 2011. Instead, Denmark bought the fish caught from Iceland at below world market prices. Contrary to most European countries, this promotion campaign was successful in Iceland, because emigration was only just about to start from there and Icelandic emigrants had no relatives in the United States to help them take the first steps". Iceland is not as religious as statistics might indicate. The next two digits are chosen at random when the kennitala is allocated, the 9th digit is a check digit, and the last digit indicates the period of one hundred years in which the individual was born (for instance, '9' for the period 1900–1999). Religion: Most Icelanders (80%) are members of the Lutheran State Church. Economy: GDP = $34,91 billion (2017). Iceland has a long history of farm wor… [9], Apart from the Irish papar, Christianity had been present in Iceland from the start even among the Germanic settlers. When he went back to Iceland, he became the secretary of the bishop of Skálholt and translated the New Testament into the Icelandic language. Religion in Iceland has been predominantly Christian since the adoption of Christianity as the state religion by the Althing under the influence of Olaf Tryggvason, the king of Norway, in 999/1000 CE. A royal emissary was sent to uphold the ordinance, and Øgmundur was arrested and died on the way to Denmark. … Jón Arason was consequently outlawed by the king, he was arrested with two of his sons, and all three were executed in November 1550. An Icelandic patronymic is essentially only a designation of fatherhood, and is therefore redundant in Icelandic social life except to differentiate people of the same first name – the phone directory, for example, lists people by their given name first, patronymic second. [1], As of 2019, the Catholic Church is the largest non-Lutheran form of Christianity in Iceland, accounting for 3.92% of the population, many of whom are immigrant Poles. Úlfljót was chosen as the first Lawspeaker (Lögsögumaðr), who presided the Althing which met annually at Thingvellir. Meanwhile, in Iceland the situation was worsening, as the two religious factions had divided the country and a civil war was about to break out. The Danish king maintained a monopoly in trade with Iceland from 1602 until 1855, which made the price of fish artificially low – the price of fish was higher in Britain – and artificially raised the price of agricultural products. Iceland was under Danish rule until the late 19th century, when they created their own constitution. As of 2020 they had 377 members (0.1% of the population) and 742 members (0.20%), respectively. Kristín Loftsdóttir, “The Country without Racism: Multiculturalism and Colonial Identity Formations in Iceland.” Social Identities 17 (2011): 11–25. Formal religious affiliation in Iceland (2020)[1]. The category of the "unaffiliated" comprises citizens who are not registered as members of any religious organisation. The three Islamic organisations of Iceland are the Muslim Association of Iceland, the Muslim Cultural Centre of Iceland and the Islamic Cultural Centre of Iceland, respectively with 552, 394, and 188 members in 2019. 133-149. 0.88 males: 1 female [21] Theosophy was introduced in Iceland around 1900, and in 1920 the Icelandic Theosophists formally organised as an independent branch of the international Theosophical movement, though within the fold of the Lutheran belief and led by a Lutheran pastor, Séra Jakob Kristinsson. information on marriages, consensual unions, divorces, births, deaths, adoptions, changes in residence, in citizenship and religious affiliation. [1] The church itself claims a higher number of 277 members in two branches (Reykjavík and Selfoss). The number of Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assemblies in Iceland is the highest, compared to the total population of the country, in all of Europe. Skaptadóttir, UD 2004, ‘Mobilities and cultural difference: immigrant’s experiences in Iceland’ in Topographies of globalization: politics, culture, language, eds V Ingimundarson, K Loftsdóttir & I Erlingsdóttir, The University of Iceland Press, Reykjavík pp. This article is about the demographic features of the population of Iceland, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. There are, however, a Sri Chinmoy centre, Ananda Marga, and other organisations of meditation and philosophy. [7], Icelandic landowners (landnámsmenn[8]) were organised into goðorð ("god-word(s)"), religio-political groups under the leadership of a goði ("god-man"). [20], In 1972, four men proposed to found an organisation for the revitalisation of the pre-Christian northern Germanic religion. [33], The Jewish population in Iceland is not large enough to be registered as a separate religious group. Icelands total population was 307,672 and about 80% of the population is registered in the Lutheran Church of Iceland. Among the first Lutherans there was Oddur Gottskálksson, who had converted to Lutheranism while living on the continent for many years. [23] This church has kept the principle of funds' redistribution among members, which is called amargi. [2] The Lutheran Church of Iceland has remained since then the country's state church. If you think religion belongs to the past and we live in a new age of reason, you need to check out the facts: Immigration has also brought significant new ethno-religious groups such as Jewish people, and new minority religions, including Islam. In 1533, the Althing ordained that "all shall continue in the Holy Faith and the Law of God, which God has given to us, and which the Holy Fathers have confirmed". [1], The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 162 registered members in Iceland as of 2019. [17], Lutheran pamphlets were introduced in Iceland through trade with Germany. 25–54 years: [24], Source: UN World Population Prospects[27]. [26], As of 2019, 0.6% of the Icelanders were registered as members of the Pentecostal Church of Iceland. After one day and one night, he decided that, in order to keep peace, the population had to be united under one law and one religion, Christianity, and all the non-Christians among the population would have received baptism. He was a valued author of books for children, written in German, and even appeared on postage stamps. After a legal struggle, the original directors were reinstated as the leaders of the movement, and by October 2017, after two years of frozen activity, the case was closed allowing the church to dispose of its taxes. Iceland then remained officially catholic until the reformation era. The former First Lady of Iceland, Dorrit Moussaieff, is a Bukharian Jew and is likely the most significant Jewish woman in Icelandic history. It has been estimated that around 17,000 Icelanders emigrated to North America in the period 1870–1914, with some 2,000 people returning to Iceland. [20] In the 19th and early 20th centuries, religious life in Iceland, still mostly within the Christian establishment, was influenced by the spread of spiritualist beliefs. When Lutheranism became the state religion of Denmark and Norway under king Christian III, the king tried to convert Iceland too. [20], In the early 2010s, Zuism, a revival of the Sumerian religion, was founded in Iceland and formally registered in 2013. While similar, all-inclusive personal registries exist in other countries, the use of the national registry is unusually extensive in Iceland. [7], The religion was named Goðatrú or Ásatrú, "truth of the gods". [1], As of 2019, 76.84% of the Icelandic people were registered as Christians, most of them belonging to the Church of Iceland and minor Lutheran free churches. The Pew Research Center estimated that the number of Muslims in Iceland was below its 10,000 minimum threshold, and official statistics put the figure at under 1,300, or approximately 0.4% of the total population. Since 2000s they are trying to get their own gurdwara built. Magnús's daughter Sigríður Ásta would be Sigríður Ásta Magnúsdóttir, and would remain so for the rest of her life regardless of marriage. In the autumn of the same year, they asked to be registered, and by the spring of 1973 Ásatrú had become a recognised religion. 65 years and over: Jón was a poet of some importance and was married with many children, a usual thing among the clergy in Iceland. Concerning other religious practices, the Icelanders followed Scandinavian norms; they built temples enshrining images of the gods. As of 2019, it had 2,841 registered members, or 0.8% of all the Icelanders). The original population of the island was of Gaelic and Nordic origin based on genetic analysis and literary evidence from the island's settlement. Iceland Urban Population Currently, 94.3 % of the population of Iceland is urban (319,637 people in 2019) Population Density. At the Althing of 1526 they came with their own armed contingents, though they reconciled because of the threat posed by a new, common enemy, the spread of Lutheranism. After the event, in 986 Fridrek returned to Saxony while Thorvald embarked for Viking expeditions in Eastern Europe. Among the other proselytisers, King Olaf of Norway sent the Icelandic native Stefnir Thorgilsson in 995–996 and the Saxon priest Thangbrand in 997–999. Although the trade monopoly ended in 1787, Icelanders could not trade freely with other countries until 1855. 13.5% (male 23,190/female 22,659) [36], Siðmennt (short name of the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association) is the largest organisation promoting secular humanism in Iceland. [1] Catholics are organised in the Diocese of Reykjavík, led by the bishop Dávid Bartimej Tencer (1963–), O.F.M. The state church is the Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which 92.2 percent of the population are nominal if not practicing members. The ordinance was accepted in Skálholt, but rejected by Jón Arason in Hólar. Article 63: All persons have the right to form religious associations and to practice their religion in conformity with their individual convictions. under 15 years: Religion Religious Beliefs. Population of Iceland 2010-2020, by citizenship Population in Iceland 2012-2019, by degree of urbanization Population by membership in religious and life stance organizations in Iceland … [1] The Reykjavíkurgoðorð ("Reykjavík God-word") is another independent Heathen group and it had 26 members in 2019. Figures on changes in the demographic characteristics of the Icelandic population are published yearly, e.g. [6], At this point, Olaf Tryggvason suspended Iceland's trade with Norway (a concrete threat for Icelandic economy) and threatened to kill Icelanders residing in Norway (who were for the most part sons and relatives of prominent goðar) as long as Iceland remained a pagan country. Immigrants and persons with foreign background 2017, "Efnahagslegt sjónarhorn á móttöku flóttamanna", "Seasonality of birth rates in agricultural Iceland", "University pathways of urban and rural migration in Iceland", "Aldrei lægra hlutfall Íslendinga í Þjóðkirkjunni – Zúistar nærri 1 prósent þjóðarinnar", "Population projection by main indicators 2013–2061", "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations", https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194106/http://bella.mrn.stjr.is/utgafur/skolenska.pdf, A 2012 report by the Ministry of Welfare on migration to and from Iceland 1961–2011, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demographics_of_Iceland&oldid=991290180, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Natural increase from January–September 2019 =, Natural increase from January–September 2020 =, This page was last edited on 29 November 2020, at 08:27. However, the mediation of the Althing, presided by the lawspeaker Thorgeir Thorkelsson, thwarted the conflict. [35] Ananda Marga was an officially registered religion since 2019, with 5 members.[1]. There were 652 icelanders registered in the Buddhist Association in 2007. A large part of the population remain members of the Church of Iceland, but are actually irreligious and atheists, as demonstrated by demoscopic analyses. [1], Islam is the religion of a small minority in Iceland. Most Icelandic people are descendants of Norwegian settlers, and of Gaels from Ireland and Scotland who were brought over as slaves during the Settlement of Iceland in the ninth century CE. 83.0 years The Icelanders' attitude towards the Jews has mostly been neutral, although in the early 20th century the intellectual Steinn Emilsson was influenced by anti-Semitic ideas while studying in Germany. [1], In 2019, 65.15% of the Icelanders were registered as members of the national Church of Iceland. 33, 17 June 1944, as amended 30 May 1984, 31 May 1991, 28 June 1995 and 24 June 1999)", "Fjöldi meðlima í trúfélögum og öðrum samanburðarhópum 1990 - 2016", "Yfirlýsing frá Ágústi Arnari Ágústsssyni, forstöðumanni trúfélagsins Zuism", "Icelanders flock to religion revering Sumerian gods and tax rebates", "100 Years of the Baháʼí Faith in Europe", "Iceland and the Jewish Question until 1940", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Iceland&oldid=991123259, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 11:16. He also imprisoned Gissur's appointed successor. Unemployment rate: 2,9% (2018). [18], The most important figure in early Icelandic Lutheranism was, however, Gissur Einarsson, who during a period of study in Germany learned about the Reformation. The country is in very good economic standing with a very low unemployment rate. [6], In the wake of the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis, many Icelanders went to work abroad. An example would be 120192-3389. [1] However, the total number of Muslims living in Iceland may be larger, as many Muslims have chosen to join neither association. [8] The migration of Norwegians was partly in response to the politics of Harald Fairhair, who was unifying Norway under a centralised monarchy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, Scandinavians began to arrive in larger numbers, Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein, "Aðskilnaður ríkis og kirkju: Upphaf almennrar umræðu 1878–1915", "Populations by religious and life stance organizations", "Constitution of the Republic of Iceland (No. For example, Magnús and Anna, children of a man named Pétur Jónsson, would have the full name Magnús Pétursson and Anna Pétursdóttir, respectively. 85.3 years [7], The first Icelanders, though accustomed to a society in which the monarch was essential for religious life, did not establish a new monarchy in the colony, but rather a yearly assembly of free men, the Althing. Most Finns are Christians. Religious organisations' recent membership, 9th–10th century: Early Germanic settlement, 20th–21st century: Decline of Christianity and rise of new religions, The category "other and unspecified" comprises citizens who are registered as members of religious organisations which are not listed in the. Before that, between the 9th and 10th century, the prevailing religion among the early Icelanders (mostly Norwegian settlers fleeing Harald Fairhair's monarchical centralisation in 872–930) was the northern Germanic religion, which persisted for centuries even after the official Christianisation of the state. [14], The decision of the Althing was a turning point; before that, it was difficult for individuals to convert to Christianity, since it would have meant to abandon the traditions of one's own kin, and would have been seen as ættarspillar—"destruction of kinship". [1], The Jehovah's Witnesses in Iceland were 608, or 0.17% of the population, as of 2020. He is credited with having instituted a tithe system which made the Icelandic church financially independent and strengthened Christianity. There are between 15 and 25 Sikh families in Iceland. male: The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's major religions are described below. Then Christian III ordered the dissolution of the monasteries. The most notable phenomenon has been a rise of Neopagan religions, especially Heathenry, in Iceland also called Ásatrú, "truth of the gods", the return to Germanic religion. For most of the millennia since the Viking Age parliament of Iceland, Alþingi, adopted Christianity as the official religion of the nation, Christianity was the only legally recognized religion, and the profession of other faiths or the practice of other forms of Reykjavik Demographics. The early settlement, made up primarily of Norwegian seafarers and adventurers, fostered further excursions to Greenland and the coast of North America (which the Norse called Vinland). [1] Another 6.96% of the population were registered as having no religious affiliation in 2019.[1]. Everyone shall be free to remain outside religious associations. [10] The syncretic attitude of the Icelanders made possible for the Germanic religion to survive and intermingle with Christianity even in later periods. 20.4% (male 35,418/female 33,887) In 1536, he became assistant at the Skálholt bishopric, though he still did not formally embrace Lutheranism. The Church of Iceland is supported by the government, but all registered religions receive support from a church tax (sóknargjald) paid by taxpayers over the age of sixteen. Since the year 1000 Iceland has been a Christian nation, which Christianity enjoying a preferential status. Remarkably the poll failed to find young Icelanders who accept the creation story of the Bible. He had to change his name to Ari Singh, as the Icelandic government does not issue citizenship to non-Icelandic first names. The latter moved to France at the age of thirteen and became a Jesuit, remaining in Society of Jesus for the rest of his life. Gissur was only 25 years old and it was difficult for him to maintain power, especially as he was opposed by the clergy and even by the old bishop. The largest religious congregation is the National Church, which has 233,062 or about 66% of the population. Fishing replaced agriculture as the country’s main industry. [6] Thorgeir was trusted by both the religious factions, and he was given the responsibility to decide whether Icelanders would have converted to Christianity or would have remained faithful to the Germanic religion of their ancestors. [10], Research on the experience of immigrants to Iceland is in its early days. [1] Catholics were 3.92%, and a further 7.77% of the Icelanders were adherents of some other Christian denomination. The largest religious community in Finland is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko), to which about 70% of the population belongs. More than 3100 (or 1% of the Icelandic population) joined the church. However most of them 79,1% are members of the Icelandic National Church (Lutheran). For instance, Aud the Deep-Minded was among the baptised and devout Christians and she established a Christian cross on a hill, where she prayed; her kinsmen later regarded the site as sacred, and they built an Ásatrú temple there. ), Icelandic (English and a second Nordic language, Danish by default, are also a part of the Icelandic compulsory education)[28], CIA World Factbook demographic statistics, Guðbjört Guðjónsdóttir. Icelanders worshipped landvættir, local land spirits, and the gods of the common northern Germanic tradition, within hof and hörgar. 96,8% of Icelanders are registered in in a religion. This may have been assisted by the Icelandic language's literary tradition that predates the island's conversion to Christianity, the Eddas and the Sagas, which are well known by most Icelanders, providing an unbroken link with the pagan past. As of 1 January 2020, the population of Iceland was estimated to be 340,077 people. [16] After the conversion, members of the goðorð often became Christian priests and bishops. In 1584 the first Icelandic translation of the Bible was published. Organizers promised those registering with Zuism their church tax would be refunded. ), total population: Islam in Iceland is a minority religion. Most Icelandic surnames are based on patronymy, or the adoption of the father's first given name, followed by "son" or "daughter". 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. Other Lutherans constitute 3.1 percent of the population, Catholics 0.9 percent, and others 3.8 percent. [31], The largest Buddhist organisation in Iceland, the Buddhist Association of Iceland, had 1,117 members in 2019, or 0.31% of the population. Rannveig Thorisdottir, “Armed with a Pen.” In, Kristín Loftsdóttir, “ ‘Still a Lot of Staring and Curiosity’: Racism and the Racialization of African Immigrants in Iceland.” In. The 12% has made Iceland in the top 10 atheist populations of the world. Iceland then turned its eyes to Lutheranism back in 1550. 1.01 male: 1 female In 1905 came the first motorised fishing vessel, which marked an important step in the development of a specialised fishing industry in Iceland. 11.81% (male 20,119/female 20,007) In all, this means nearly 25% of the population are either not a part of any religion, are decidedly humanist, or hew to faiths that are not officially defined or recognised. All living Icelanders, as well as all foreign citizens with permanent residence in Iceland, have a personal identification number (kennitala) identifying them in the National Registry. 15–24 years: 1.05 males: 1 female, 25–54 years: Cap..[25], In the twentieth century, Iceland had some notable converts to Catholicism, including Halldór Laxness and Jón Sveinsson. [13][14][15] But, while it is popularly believed in Iceland that racism does not exist there,[16] there is evidence that in some respects immigrant populations experience prejudice and inequalities. [18] In 1552 the Hólar diocese also accepted the Church Ordinance. total population: Iceland has had the highest agricultural machinery > tractors per 100 hectares of arable land since 1961. Other people worshipped Freyr, as attested in the Víga-Glúms saga. [15], The last two Catholic bishops of Iceland were Øgmundur Pállson of Skálholt and Jón Arason of Hólar. Religions: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 67.2%, Roman Catholic 3.9%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.8%, Hafnarfjordur Free Church 2%, Asatru Association 1.2%, The Independent Congregation.9%, other religions 4% (includes Zuist and Pentecostal), none 6.7%, other or unspecified 11.3% (2018 est.) “Friendship, Diversity and Fear: Young People’s Life Views and Life Values in a Multicultural Society.” Nordidactica: Journal of Humanities and Social Science Education (2015 part 2): 94–113. [9], Christian missionaries began to be active in Iceland by 980. Almost 5% of people practice ásatrú, the traditional Norse religion. [15] Despite the official Christianisation, the old Germanic religion persisted for long time, as proven by the literature produced by Snorri Sturluson—himself a Christian—and other authors in the 13th century, who composed the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. Iceland Demographics. [32], The Baháʼí Faith in Iceland was the religion of 0.1% of the population in 2018. Following trade liberalisation, there was a substantial increase in fish exports to Britain, which led to an increase in the number of sailing ships used in fishing, introduced for the first time in 1780. Official statistics begin in 1703, since when the population of Iceland has grown from 50,358 to 348,580 in December 2017.[3]. Atheism is the rejection of religion and having no faith in a god while agnosticism is being uncertain. In addition, in the country there are a number of Lutheran free churches, including the Reykjavík Free Church (2.77%), the Hafnarfjörður Free Church (1.96%) and the Independent Lutheran Congregation (0.92%). female: Religions in Finland. Iceland seems to be on its way to becoming an even more secular nation, according to a new poll. This number is composed of 10 digits, whereof the first six are made up of the individual's birth date in the format DDMMYY. He was examined by theologians in Copenhagen and in 1540 the king appointed him as the superintendent of Skálholt. One of them was the Icelandic native Thorvald Konradsson, who had been baptised on the continent by the Saxon bishop Fridrek, with whom he preached the gospel in Iceland in 981, converting only Thorvald's father Konrad and his family. [27] A family history center for the church is located in the Mormon meetinghouse of Reykjavík. (2016 est. [7], There was little immigration to Iceland prior to the 1990s, and during that period was mostly from other Scandinavian countries: around 1% of the population of Iceland in 1900 was of Danish heritage (either born in Denmark or to Danish parents). 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. Zuism, unlike other religions, promised to share among its adherents the money it receives from the tax, so that in a few weeks thousands of people joined the church. With a rental car, you can visit ice-covered mountains and active volcanoes on the same day.It is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet, but also one of the wealthiest and highly developed. In late 2015, the Board of Directors of the Zuist Church was hijacked by people who were unrelated to the movement, and under the new leadership Zuism was turned into a medium for a protest against the state church and the Icelandic church tax (sóknargjald). (2016 est. [1], Zuism in 2019 was the religion of about 0.45% of the Icelandic population. Anonymous asked: what are Iceland's religious demographics, how do Icelanders feel about religion? In 2017, 10.6% of the population were first-generation immigrants. Cultural practices, language, dressing, sports, religion and environment are some of the most important. The second is the Catholic Church of Iceland, which has 13,799 members or about 4% of the population. This is the population pyramid for Iceland. There was no significant Jewish population or emigration to Iceland until the 20th century, though some Jewish merchants lived in Iceland temporarily during the 19th century. [20] As of 2019, about 1.25% of the Icelanders registered as members of the Ásatrúarfélagið (literally "Ese-truth Fellowship"). Since then, Iceland has flourished into a thriving community but its population has remained one of the smallest in Europe. The 2019 population density in Iceland is 3 people per Km 2 (9 people per mi 2), calculated on a total land area of 100,250 Km2 (38,707 sq. Church manuals and hymnals were in bad Danish translations, and new schools had to be set up in cathedral towns to train the Lutheran clergy. miles). The first Jews in Iceland were traders. Another 4% (about 11,471 people) belong to one of 20 different denominations that are registered and recognized by the state. Other Buddhist organisations present in Iceland are the Soka Gakkai International (with 179 members), Zen in Iceland (with 172 members), and the Tibetan Buddhist Fellowship (with 17 members). Population by membership in religious and life stance organizations in Iceland 2020 Published by Statista Research Department, Apr 27, 2020 The biggest religious organization in Iceland … The first consecrated bishop in Iceland was Ísleif Gizursson, who from 1057 to his death in 1080 was the bishop of Skálholt. Religions: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. The WIN-Gallup International “Religion and Atheism Index” ranked Iceland moderately high in terms of the proportion of self-identified atheists in the population at … Use of the patronymic system is required by law, except for the descendants of those who had acquired family names before 1913 (about 10% of the population). [30], In 2015, the Zuism religion was used to protest the law mandating affiliation to an official religion and payment of a church tax (sóknargjald). There are no synagogues or prayer houses in the country. A few years later, these provisions allowing private cults were abolished. The number of Hindus in Iceland is unknown. There are so many factors that truly define and properly explain the history of a specific location. [3], Since the late 20th century, and especially the early 21st century, religious life in Iceland has become more diverse, with a decline of Christianity, the rise of unaffiliated people, and the emergence of new religions, notably Heathenry, in Iceland also called Ásatrú, which seeks to reconstruct the Germanic folk religion. [6] According to historian Gunnar Karlsson, "migration from Iceland is unique in that most went to Canada, whereas from most or all other European countries the majority went to the United States. Bishop Øgmundur, now old and almost blind, chose Gissur Einarsson as his successor. According to University of Iceland economists Davíd F. Björnsson and Gylfi Zoega, "The policies of the colonial masters in Copenhagen delayed urbanisation. Christianism was now the official religion in Iceland by 999-1000 AD. Poles, Danes and Lithuanians are the most common ethnic minorities living in Reykjavik, and in 2009 as much as 8% of the population was made up of non-natives. [18], Gissur Einarsson died in 1548 and Jón Arason took possession of the Skálholt diocese, even though the clergy opposed him. [4], When Iceland was first settled by Norwegians (but also by some Swedes and people from the Norse settlements in Britain[6]) in the mid-9th century, approximately in 870,[7] it was inhabited by a small number of Irish Christian anchorites known as papar (singular papi). Bishop Palladius was in charge of the development of the Icelandic Lutheran church in those early years. [9] These first Christians were probably influenced by contact with Norse people in Britain, where Christianity already had a strong presence. The religio-political organisation of early Iceland has been defined as "pagan and anti-monarchic", which distinguished it from other Germanic societies. Both the missions were unsuccessful: Stefnir violently destroyed temples and ancestral shrines, leading the Althing to enact a law against Christians—who were declared frændaskomm, a "disgrace on one's kin", and could now be denounced—and to outlaw Stefnir, who returned to Norway; Thangbrand, a learnt but violent man, succeeded in converting some important families, but he also had many opponents, and, when he killed a poet—who had composed verses against him—, he was outlawed and he too went back to Norway. A main reason for this is because of the high regard placed on hard work by the people. The Danish scholar of religion Margit Warburg speculates that the Icelandic people are culturally more open to religious innovation. In 2016, 71.6% of the population belonged to the state church (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland), approximately 5% in free churches, 3.7% to the Roman Catholic Church, approximately 1% to the Ásatrúarfélagið (a legally recognized revival of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland), approximately 1% to Zuism, 8% in unrecognized or unspecified religious groups, and 19% do not belong to any religious group. Iceland, a Nordic island nation located between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans, is an interesting country of stark contrasts. As of 2018, the Icelandic population stands at a little over 350,000. 55–64: [22], Since the late 20th century there has been a rapid diversification of religious life in the country. 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