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Iceland Tourism Statistics for November 2026
Foreign passengers made 2.27 million departures via Keflavík airport in 2025, 0.3% more than in 2024 and 97.9% of the 2018 record of 2.32 million. International visitors spent ISK 478.3 billion in Iceland in 2025, and tourism accounted for 8.8% of GDP (preliminary). In January–September 2026 foreign departures via Keflavík were 1.79 million, 0.7% fewer than a year earlier.
How many people visit Iceland, where they come from, what they spend and when they travel, compiled from the latest official statistics. Full sources are listed at the bottom of the page. Headline numbers are for calendar year 2025, the most recent full year, with 2026 figures where available. The standard visitor count is foreign passengers leaving through Keflavík airport, which handles almost all foreign visitors.
Inbound visitors
Foreign departures via Keflavík
Foreign passengers made 2,267,638 departures via Keflavík airport in 2025, 0.3% more than the 2,261,391 of 2024. That was 97.9% of the record 2.32 million of 2018 and 14.2% more than in 2019. Departures fell to 482,108 in 2020, during the pandemic. In January–September 2026 there were 1.79 million, 0.7% fewer than in the same months of 2025.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1.99m | pre-pandemic |
| 2020 | 0.48m | pandemic |
| 2021 | 0.69m | pandemic |
| 2022 | 1.70m | |
| 2023 | 2.21m | |
| 2024 | 2.26m | |
| 2025 | 2.27m |
Foreign passengers are counted as they leave through Keflavík airport, by nationality, and each trip counts, so one person making two trips is counted twice. Since October 2019 the count has been based on a sample. This is not a total of all arrivals: counting other airports and the ferry, foreign visitor arrivals by air and sea were 2,297,121 in 2025, and Keflavík handled 98.7% of them. Cruise passengers are not included. 2026 so far: 1,791,876 departures in January–September, against 1,804,431 in the same months of 2025.
Visitor spending
International visitor spending
International visitors spent ISK 478.3 billion in Iceland in 2025, 6.8% more than in 2024. This is the travel item of the balance of payments, which counts spending in Iceland and excludes air fares. Adding the ISK 168.0 billion that foreign passengers paid to Icelandic airlines gives revenue from foreign travellers of ISK 646.4 billion, 32.4% of all exports of goods and services.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ISK 330.4bn | pre-pandemic |
| 2020 | ISK 86.7bn | pandemic |
| 2021 | ISK 165.4bn | pandemic |
| 2022 | ISK 336.2bn | |
| 2023 | ISK 430.4bn | |
| 2024 | ISK 447.8bn | |
| 2025 | ISK 478.3bn |
Exports of travel services in nominal Icelandic krónur, before adjusting for inflation. Revenue from foreign travellers, which also includes air fares, was ISK 646.4 billion in 2025, up 3.9%. In the first half of 2026 it was ISK 266.6 billion, 4.2% less than in the first half of 2025 (preliminary). The national tourism accounts give a third measure: inbound tourism expenditure of ISK 540.9 billion in 2025 (preliminary).
Source markets
Where Iceland's visitors come from
US citizens made 661,929 departures via Keflavík in 2025, 29.2% of the total and 6.7% more than in 2024. The United Kingdom was second with 229,183, down 13.9%, and Germany third with 151,891. Departures by Chinese citizens rose 33.3%. Bars show 2025 departures; the muted figure is the change on 2024.
Markets are by nationality (citizenship), not country of residence. China includes Hong Kong. The Netherlands followed with 48,831 departures, down 27.7%. In January–September 2026 departures by US citizens were 543,152.
Why they come
Purpose of visit
Holidays account for almost all foreign visits to Iceland: 92.3% of foreign visitors in 2025 came on holiday. Visiting friends and relatives accounted for 2.5% and business for 1.4%.
- Holiday 92.3%
- Visiting friends and relatives 2.5%
- Business 1.4%
- Health, education and other 3.8%
Shares are for 2025, from the border survey of foreign visitors leaving through Keflavík airport, applied to the 2,267,638 departures. "Health, education and other" combines health-related and educational trips (2.3%) with other purposes (1.5%).
Seasonality
When they visit
August was the busiest month in 2025, with 312,964 foreign departures via Keflavík, and June to August together brought 37.4% of the year's total. December was the quietest month with 120,016, just below January with 121,590.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 122k | |
| Feb | 149k | |
| Mar | 152k | |
| Apr | 149k | |
| May | 160k | |
| Jun | 234k | |
| Jul | 302k | |
| Aug | 313k | busiest |
| Sep | 224k | |
| Oct | 201k | |
| Nov | 142k | |
| Dec | 120k | quietest |
Monthly foreign departures via Keflavík in 2025; they add up to the annual 2,267,638. August 2026 brought 314,180 departures, the highest monthly figure so far that year.
Accommodation
Hotels & occupancy
Registered accommodation recorded 9.85 million overnight stays in 2025, 5.8% more than in 2024. Foreign guests accounted for 8.55 million of them (86.8%), up 10.0%. The Capital Region had 40.1% of foreign guests' nights and the South 30.0%. Hotel room occupancy averaged 67.2% over the year, from 89.8% in August to 45.3% in December. In January–September 2026 foreign guests' nights were 2.2% higher than a year earlier (preliminary).
Economic impact
Tourism in Iceland's economy
Tourism directly accounted for 8.8% of Iceland's GDP in 2025, up from 8.2% in 2024, according to preliminary national tourism accounts. Total tourism consumption in Iceland, by foreign and domestic visitors, was ISK 914.2 billion, up 4.2%. Revenue from foreign travellers, including air fares, was ISK 646.4 billion, 32.4% of the country's exports of goods and services.
Inbound tourism expenditure was ISK 540.9 billion in 2025 (preliminary), up 0.2%, including ISK 25.9 billion spent by cruise passengers on day visits. Domestic tourism expenditure was ISK 329.1 billion, up 10.7%. Tourism accounted for 30.5 million hours worked, 9.5% of the total, down from 10.2% in 2024. Reykjavík harbour received 330,474 international cruise passengers on 240 ships in 2025, up 2.6%; they are not counted in the departures figures.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 29.2% Share of foreign departures by US citizens (2025)
- 92.3% Share of foreign visitors who came on holiday (2025)
- 7.1 nights Average length of stay of foreign visitors (2025)
- 2.30m Foreign visitor arrivals by air and sea, all entry points (2025)
- 330,474 International cruise passengers at Reykjavík harbour (2025)
- 40.1% Share of foreign guests' nights in the Capital Region (2025)
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visit Iceland each year?
Foreign passengers made 2,267,638 departures via Keflavík airport in 2025, 0.3% more than in 2024 and 97.9% of the 2018 record. Counting all airports and the ferry, foreign visitor arrivals by air and sea were 2,297,121. Cruise passengers are counted separately: Reykjavík harbour received 330,474 in 2025. In January–September 2026 foreign departures via Keflavík were 1.79 million, 0.7% fewer than a year earlier.
How much do tourists spend in Iceland?
International visitors spent ISK 478.3 billion in Iceland in 2025, up 6.8%, excluding air fares. Including the fares foreign passengers paid to Icelandic airlines, revenue from foreign travellers was ISK 646.4 billion, 32.4% of all exports of goods and services.
Where do most tourists to Iceland come from?
The United States. US citizens made 661,929 departures via Keflavík in 2025, 29.2% of the total and 6.7% more than in 2024. The United Kingdom was second with 229,183, Germany third with 151,891 and China fourth with 128,212.
What is the busiest month for tourism in Iceland?
August. In 2025 it brought 312,964 foreign departures via Keflavík, just ahead of July with 302,057, and June to August together accounted for 37.4% of the year. December was the quietest month with 120,016.
How much does tourism contribute to Iceland's economy?
Tourism directly accounted for 8.8% of GDP in 2025, or ISK 435.2 billion, according to preliminary figures. It accounted for 9.5% of all hours worked, and 22,363 people were employed in tourism. Total tourism consumption in Iceland, by foreign and domestic visitors, was ISK 914.2 billion.
Using these figures?
Cite this page
Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to use the statistics on this page. Please credit Iceland Tourism Statistics and link to this page.
Iceland Tourism Statistics (2026). Visitors, spending and trends. Last reviewed 2 November 2026. https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/iceland
<a href="https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/iceland">Iceland Tourism Statistics</a> Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics from the Icelandic Tourist Board (Ferðamálastofa) and Statistics Iceland; the sources for every figure are listed below. Caveats:
- The standard count is departures of foreign passengers through Keflavík airport, made by the Icelandic Tourist Board and Isavia before passengers enter the departure area. It is based on a sample since October 2019, counts trips, so a person making two trips counts twice, and groups passengers by nationality (passport), not residence. It is not a total of all arrivals: foreign visitors arriving by other airports or by the ferry at Seyðisfjörður are excluded, though the Tourist Board estimates that Keflavík handled 98.7% of the 2,297,121 foreign visitor arrivals by air and sea in 2025. Cruise passengers are counted separately.
- Calendar-year figures for 2025 and the monthly figures for January–September 2026 come from the monthly departures file, September 2026 edition. The January–September totals (1,791,876 in 2026 and 1,804,431 in 2025) are sums of the published monthly figures. The 2023 total appears as 2,211,668 in one table of the file and 2,211,666 in another.
- The ISK 478.3 billion headline is exports of travel services in the balance of payments (table UTA04006), which counts spending by non-residents in Iceland and excludes international fares. Revenue from foreign travellers (ISK 646.4 billion) adds passenger transport sold by Icelandic airlines to foreign passengers; the annual figure is the sum of four quarters in table UTA05003, and 2026 quarters are preliminary. The tourism satellite account measure, inbound tourism expenditure of ISK 540.9 billion, is compiled within the national accounts and includes ISK 97.9 billion of air passenger transport and ISK 25.9 billion spent by cruise passengers on day visits. All values are nominal Icelandic krónur; no US dollar figures are published.
- Purpose of visit and length of stay come from the border survey run by the Icelandic Tourist Board and Statistics Iceland at Keflavík airport, as published in the Tourist Board's figures for 2025 (January 2026 edition). The survey shares are applied to the departure count.
- Overnight stays cover all establishments registered in the Statistics Iceland overnight stays database (table SAM01601, updated 29 October 2026); establishments outside the database are not counted. Figures for 2026 are preliminary. The Tourist Board's January 2026 summary showed earlier estimates for 2025 (10.16 million guest nights), which Statistics Iceland has since replaced with the 9.85 million used here. Hotel occupancy is the room occupancy rate from table SAM01104.
- The GDP share, tourism consumption, expenditure and employment are preliminary 2025 results of the Statistics Iceland tourism satellite accounts, released on 26 May 2026; the 2024 share of GDP was revised to 8.2% in that release. The GDP share is direct only. Employment counts people. No official attraction visitor counts are used, so that section is omitted.
Primary sources
- Icelandic Tourist Board: Departures of foreign passengers through Keflavík airport : Foreign passenger departures through Keflavík airport by nationality and month, 2002 to September 2026 (monthly file, September 2026 edition); counted with Isavia before the security check, by a sampling method since October 2019.
- Icelandic Tourist Board: Numbers of foreign visitors : Foreign visitor arrivals by air and sea 1949–2025 (2,297,121 in 2025), the share arriving through Keflavík (98.7%) and cruise passengers to Reykjavík harbour 2013–2025.
- Icelandic Tourist Board: Cruise ship passengers to Reykjavík harbour : International cruise passengers and number of ships at Reykjavík harbour by nationality, 2013–2025.
- Icelandic Tourist Board: Tourism in Iceland in figures, January 2026 : Purpose of visit and average length of stay of foreign visitors in calendar year 2025, from the border survey at Keflavík airport run with Statistics Iceland.
- Statistics Iceland: Overnight stays and arrivals in all types of registered accommodation : Table SAM01601, overnight stays by citizenship, region and month, 1998 to September 2026 (updated 29 October 2026); 2026 preliminary.
- Statistics Iceland: Occupancy rate of rooms and beds in hotels : Table SAM01104, monthly and annual room occupancy in hotels by region, 2000–2026 (updated 29 October 2026).
- Statistics Iceland: External trade in services by service categories : Table UTA04006, exports of travel services and of passenger transport by air, 2013–2025, million ISK (updated 4 September 2026).
- Statistics Iceland: Selected items of the exports of goods and services : Table UTA05003, quarterly revenues of foreign travellers and total exports of goods and services, 2013 to the second quarter of 2026, million ISK; 2026 preliminary; annual totals on this page are sums of the quarters.
- Statistics Iceland: Tourism satellite accounts 2025 : News release of 26 May 2026 with preliminary 2025 results: tourism share of GDP, hours worked, tourism consumption and expenditure.
- Statistics Iceland: Tourism satellite accounts, main aggregated results : Tables SAM08008, SAM08000, SAM08002 and SAM08010: tourism direct GDP, inbound and domestic tourism expenditure, internal tourism consumption and employment, 2009–2025 (2025 preliminary estimates, million ISK).