Sermitsaiq 13-02-2024
Oops: 14,000 fewer Icelanders

Iceland's population is 14,000 fewer than what the authorities previously assumed.

Wikipedia

JØRGEN SCHULTZ-NIELSEN

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 - 08:31

The Icelandic government said on Monday that its statistical office had compiled the population on the basis of figures from the national register of citizens, but this was not accurate.

Statistics Iceland has so far based its calculations on the national register, which newcomers sign up for, so that you can receive an Icelandic identity number, legal address and bank account, writes the Icelandic media Iceland Review.

The Icelandic government points out that there has been a strong incentive to register in the register. It looks worse when you leave the island.

Do not unsubscribe

"However, when people move away from Iceland, they have little incentive to unsubscribe from the national register. As a result, thousands of people no longer living in Iceland were still counted as part of Iceland's population, writes the Icelandic media based on a press release from the Icelandic government.

After the error was discovered, Statistics Iceland will in future draw data from several sources when calculating the population.

Iceland Review notes that the good news is that Iceland's economy is actually doing better than previously reported, with 14,000 fewer people positively influencing the calculation of gross domestic product.

One has to wonder if the same problem exists in Greenland.