Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Iceland

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	Homelessness is defined as someone who does not have access to traditional housing, does not have shelter usually in the same place and stays where possible every night, including in a shelter, a guest house or with other people. Those who come from temporary shelter, such as from prison or from drug treatment, have a history of multiple housing and social difficulties and do not have guaranteed shelter one to two months before they leave the other temporary housing, are included here.
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	1 272 individuals, representing 0.34% of the total population (2021)
	41% are women, 59% are men
	Point-in-time count, based on the Icelandic Population Census (2021)
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Not included: ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Iceland.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	Iceland does not have a national homelessness strategy Local homelessness strategies exist
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Population census: Census of the population experiencing homelessness (Table 6.1).

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

Statistical definition

Homelessness

In 2005, Iceland’s Ministry of Social Affairs defined homelessness as follows: “Homeless is someone who does not have access to traditional housing, does not have shelter usually in the same place and stays where possible every night, including in a shelter, a guest house or with other people. Those who come from temporary shelter, such as from prison or from drug treatment, have a history of multiple housing and social difficulties and do not have guaranteed shelter one to two months before they leave the other temporary housing, are included here.”

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2021	1 272(a)	0.34%	194	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Not included	Not included	Not included
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: No

Note: (a) The headline estimate includes 1 078 people who are experiencing secondary homelessness – that is, they are persons who are frequently resettled or on a waiting list for social housing due to lack of housing.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Statistics Island (2021), Population Census.

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2021

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (aged 15‑29)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)
Headline estimate of homelessness	NA	751	521	NA	NA	NA
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	NA	59.05%	40.95%	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	NA	140	54	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	NA	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Included in headline estimate but not specified	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	NA	Included in headline estimate but not specified	Included in headline estimate but not specified	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	NA	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	NA	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	NA	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: No

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); https://hagstofa.is/utgafur/frettasafn/manntal/manntal-fjolskyldur-og-heimili/.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	None.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	None.
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	Yes.

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Iceland Population Census
Description Census of the population experiencing homelessness through the national population census.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Population Census
Lead authority(ies) Statistics Iceland	Source(s) of information General population
Scope National level	Depth of data Data disaggregated by: sex, territory.
Frequency Every 10 years
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Official report 2021.

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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