Migration impact
🇮🇸 Iceland
A plain-language summary of who arrives, who leaves, and what the government spends on migration in Iceland. Every headline figure is a reported value from an official source — nothing is estimated.
At a glance
Headline figures
37,898
Total incoming
People arrived, all recorded years
40
Total outgoing
People left, all recorded years
+37,858
Net balance
Net inflow
$111.7M
Spent on migrants · 2024
0.34% of GDP
Trend
Incoming vs outgoing, by year
Arrivals compared with departures for each reported year. Use the selector to read the exact figures for a single year.
9,114
Incoming
5
Outgoing
+9,109
Net that year
Public expenditure
What the government spends on migrants
Migration-related public spending (refugee support and development assistance provided) in current US dollars. For donor countries this includes in-donor refugee costs.
$111.7M
Total spending · 2024
Reported migration-related expenditure
0.34%
Share of GDP
About $0.34 of every $100 of national output
For perspective
What $111.7M could otherwise fund
The same amount, spent on other public services, using round benchmark unit costs. These are illustrative comparisons to convey scale — not an actual budget or policy proposal.
11
kilometres of motorway
One kilometre of modern motorway (~$10M).
22
well-equipped schools
A brand-new fully equipped school (~$5M each).
37
public libraries
A community public library (~$3M each).
74
kindergartens
A new kindergarten / nursery (~$1.5M each).
446
fully equipped ambulances
A new fully equipped ambulance (~$250k each).
744
affordable homes
A modest new affordable home (~$150k each).
1,241
doctor-years of salary
One doctor employed for a full year (~$90k).
2,031
nurse-years of salary
One nurse employed for a full year (~$55k).
2,482
teacher-years of salary
One teacher employed for a full year (~$45k).
5,585
university scholarships
A full one-year university scholarship (~$20k).
9,309
hospital beds for a year
Running one hospital bed for a year (~$12k).
46,545
annual pension top-ups
An extra $200/month for a pensioner for a year.
186,183
laptops for students
One laptop for a school student (~$600 each).