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Introduction
As other Nordic countries, Iceland has a strong tradition of population counts and
registers. The first census in Iceland was taken in 1703 and was the first nation-wide
census in Europe. There were a few partial censuses in the 18th century but the next
census covering the whole nation was conducted in 1801. From 1835 to 1860,
censuses were conducted every five years but every ten years in the period 18601960. A comprehensive population register was developed in the 1950´s which
greatly reduced the need for full censuses. A census was conducted in 1981 and the
present plans foresee a new census in 2005.
Reasons for the new Census in 2005
Iceland did not carry out any population and housing census in 2000/2001. The next
population and housing census, in part register-based, is planned around the year
2005. However, no project plan, financing or legal requirements have been defined
yet.
Owing to the existence of a comprehensive population register and a register of
dwellings, there is little pressure to carry out a full census. The National Register of
Persons (Þjóðskrá) is run by the national statistical institute Hagstofa Íslands
(Statistics Iceland in English) as an administrative register updated on a daily basis. In
the frame of the national statistical system, demographic characteristics of the
Icelandic population can easily be deduced from these sources at any given point in
time. The Land Registry of Iceland (Fasteignamat ríkisins) is responsible for the
maintenance of the land register which is a comprehensive register of all land,
buildings and dwellings in the country. These main administrative registers – National
Register of Persons and Land Registry of Iceland – are operated side by side and with
some important linkages. However, there is at present not a linkage between the
population register and the land register as regards dwellings in multi-dwelling
houses. The existence of such a linkage would allow Iceland to undertake a full
register-based population census.
Technically, the system of the National Register of Persons could contain an exact
reference to any particular dwelling. However, a substantial effort is needed to obtain
the basic information on who occupies each dwelling in multi-dwelling houses. The
present plans for further development involve the registration of persons in their
particular dwellings in order to identify households and undertake complete registerbased population censuses. Experimental projects have already been implemented in
selected municipalities. The National Register of Persons will use the same unique
identifiers for dwellings as the Land Register. After the information on the exact
dwelling of each household has been obtained, it will be possible to link the various
statistical population registers to the Land Register and produce tables showing the
relationship of household size and structure, as well as the type of accommodation
available to households.
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According to the present plans, the main purpose of conducting a population census in
2005 is to obtain the information of in which dwellings each family or household
resides. This process would be very similar to the one undertaken in Norway in 2000
and 2001 in connection with the 2000 census round. There, a housing census was
carried out through enumeration (in connection with a register-based population
census) and selected data from it were entered in the registers of population and
buildings.
Apart from international comparison at the date of census, creating an exact linkage
between the population register and the dwelling variable of the Land Register will
also be very useful in the frame of the European program Statistics on Income and
Living Conditions (SILC).
Information on the registers used by Statistics Iceland for production of statistics is
presented in the following paragraphs. In particular, the report gives indications on
sources and methods used to provide counts and characteristics of population,
including the population tables with reference to 1 January 2001 that are being
released as ‘census data’ in order to meet the Eurostat tabulation program for the 2000
round of censuses.
The administrative register of population
Currently, Statistics Iceland is responsible for maintaining the Icelandic National
Register of Persons and for all civil registration in the country. The National Registry
is a department within Statistics Iceland and supervises and carries out the
registration. The register was established in 1953 on the basis of the 1950 census and
a special census taken solely for that purpose in 1952. The purpose of the register is to
provide unified, centralised registration of the population for administrative and
statistical uses.
The population register is maintained and updated continuously by the National
Registry. The main variables in the register are: name, ID-number, family number,
full residence, sex, marital status, nationality, place of birth, religious affiliation and
registration of consensual union.
The variables used to identify persons and individual families are the following:
o ID-numbers, issued at birth to all children born in Iceland and at first
registration to all persons taking up residence in the country. The IDnumber system is the only universal one used in the country;
o The family number of a person is his or her own ID-number if he or she is a
single person 18 years or older, or the older person of a married couple, a
couple registered as living in consensual union (also called registered
cohabitational union) or in registered partnership (also called recognised
union). In one-parent families the family number is the ID-number of the
single parent.
Information for updating the register is obtained from various institutions as
prescribed in legislation. Those are:
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o Maternity institutions and, in case of home deliveries, midwives (for births).
o Ministers of the State Lutheran Church and heads of other religious
organizations (for baptisms, marriages and deaths).
o District Commissioners (sýslumenn) (deaths, civil marriages, separation
certificates and divorces).
o Courts (divorces and changes in the custody of children).
o The Ministry of Justice (naturalization of foreign nationals and other
changes in nationality, adoptions and name changes).
There is furthermore a special law on the Icelandic National Register of Persons and
Civil Registration, a law on Domicile and a law on the Notification of Change in
Residence. Changes in residence must be reported to the municipality to which a
person moves. In the capital these changes may be reported to the nearest police
station or directly to the National Registry.
The National Register of Persons is based on a series of files, with the following two
main ancillary sources:
o A file for the registration of all changes that occur to a person
(Breytingaskrá), with material from the year 1986 onwards so all changes
can be traced back to that date (data on changes back to 1977 exist on film
and punch cards are available for the period 1953-1977).
o A file of registered persons who are removed from the National Register
(Horfinnaskrá), in most cases because of death.
The National Register plays a central role in most administrative systems in Iceland.
It is the single register of persons in the country and is therefore used by virtually all
relevant public authorities, e.g.: taxation authorities, the social security system, health
system, education system and for official mailing purposes. The register is also used
extensively by the private sector, e.g.: the banking system, insurance companies and
many larger firms, for information on ID-numbers, addresses and address changes,
deaths etc.
Within Statistics Iceland, the register is used extensively for statistical purposes. It is
used as a sampling frame for all kinds of surveys conducted either by Statistics
Iceland or other public or private agencies, normally taking as survey units either the
individuals or the households of the sampled individuals (it is the case of the
Household Budget Surveys). Furthermore, the National Register of Person forms the
basis for population statistics which are published annually and to a limited extent
every three months. Thus, the register forms the main source for the Department of
Population Statistics, where additional variables from various sources (birth-, deathand marriage reports) are entered by the staff of the Department.
In the section above, various limitations of the register were briefly discussed. With
regard to the census, the most significant shortcoming of the register is the fact that it
does not allow the production of statistics on households and families. The residence
of a person is recorded with the code of the municipality and the street and a house
number. Different units in multi-dwelling houses are not identified. It is therefore
impossible to identify individual families and households in such houses. By using the
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family number it is possible to identify the so called nuclear families, which consist of
couples with or without children or a single parent with children.
Statistical registers on population changes
Several statistical registers also exist at Statistics Iceland. Most of those are initially
drawn from the National Register, and then completed and maintained by other
departments within Statistics Iceland. Those registers including individual data are
listed below.
o For statistical purposes copies of the population register are created on
given dates every year. Methods have been developed for making the
statistical register reflect the situation on those dates as accurately as
possible, taking into account the time-lag in the reporting of certain events.
In principle, since a copy is created at a given reference date, the
registration of events occurring before that date which arrives after a two
weeks or longer period is taken into account to definitely establish the
‘statistical register’ at that reference date. This method is applied to derive
statistical registers and population figures for the most conventionally used
1 July (mid-year) and 31 December of a calendar year. Traditionally, the
Icelandic reference date for official publications was 1 December and this
date is still used as reference date for official population figures by
administrative divisions.
In addition to the copies of the population register, Statistics Iceland maintains the
following registers:
o A migration register, including internal and international migration data
since 1986 derived on monthly basis from the register of changes
(Breytingaskrá, one of the ancillary files of the National Register).
Machine-readable data is available for the period 1987 onwards.
o A register of births is compiled by adding data to the information on births
(live births and late foetal deaths) derived from the National Register.
Additional data is taken from the birth reports submitted to Statistics
Iceland by maternity institutions and midwives. The register contains the
following main variables: Name, age, residence, religious affiliation, date of
marriage, citizenship, marital and occupational status of parents; place of
birth, date and exact time of birth, sex of child, parity (previous life and
stillbirths), multiparity, duration of gestation, child’s birth-weight and
length. On the basis of this register fertility calculations are made. Machinereadable data on births is now available from the year 1987.
o A register of changes in marital status is based on ecclesiastic marriage,
civil marriage, separation and divorce data already available in the National
Register plus additional data entered explicitly for statistical purposes.
Machine-readable data on these events is available from 1987 onwards.
o A register on the change of citizenship, recording additional data to the
information on change of citizenship available from the National Register
of Persons.
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o A register of adoptions with data only kept for statistical purposes.
o A register of deaths is derived directly from the National Register of
Persons entered from death reports. Machine-readable data is available for
the period after 1970.
o A register of causes of death is based on information in the register of
deaths. Information on causes of deaths is then entered from death
certificates, with coding according to the International Classification of
Diseases (ICD-8 for the years 1971–1980, ICD-9 for 1981–1995 and ICD10 from 1996 onwards). The register is used to a considerable extent for
medical research. Those who obtain permission from the Data Protection
Commission to use the register send a list of ID-numbers to Statistics
Iceland of those persons they wish to investigate. Statistics Iceland then
links these ID-numbers to the register of causes of death.
Production and dissemination of population statistics
The statistical registers include all persons registered in the National Register of
Persons, whether or not they reside in the country at that time and irrespective of
nationality. However, the population statistics only include persons with residence in
Iceland on the reference date. On the basis of the registers, distribution by age and sex
is produced, by administrative divisions (municipalities, parishes of the State
Lutheran Church), by other geographic locations, by marital status, by religious
organizations, by citizenship and place (country) of birth. Counts of nuclear families
by size, type and residence are also made.
According to various laws, official population counts refer to 1 December of each
year. However since 1997, population counts for alternative dates are also produced
and published on the basis of statistical register. The 31 December population
structure is actually published in February or March each subsequent year.
Traditional statistics on vital events, published by Statistics Iceland, include fertility,
death rates, marriage and migration. All persons domiciled in Iceland at the time of
death are included in the statistics. In the case of births, the mother’s domicile at the
time of the birth determines whether the child is included in the statistics or not. The
criterion for inclusion of marriages and divorce in official statistics is that two out of
three possible domiciles must be in Iceland. These domiciles are, in the case of
marriage, domicile of the bride, the bridegroom and of the couple after marriage, and
in the case of divorce, the domicile of the couple before divorce and of the man and
the woman after the divorce.
Reports on population and vital statistics have been published since 1911 on a five- or
ten-year basis. Demographic reports are also published in Monthly Statistics, the
Statistical Yearbook (from 1991) and in news releases.
This country report is based on internal documents updated by Statistics Iceland for the purposes of this
project.