Iceland review - 2006, Page 37

ICELAND BY THE NUMBERS
IMMIGRATION
The world is getting smaller. It was a big deal in the late 19th century when about 20
percent of all Icelanders packed up and headed to North America to escape famine,
eruptions and the general harsh life of their home country. Today, a bigger change
for Iceland is its growing status as a labor market for foreigners. Immigration to this
island has mushroomed in the past decade. In 1981, there were no citizens of Lithuania,
Ukraine, Colombia or Ethiopia living here. In 2005, there was a combined total of 845.
Percentage of foreign citizens in 1999: 2.6%
Percentage of foreign citizens in 2005: 4.6%
Luxemburg citizens in Iceland in 1981: 1
Luxemburg citizens in Iceland in 2005: 1
Polish citizens in Iceland in 1981: 25
Polish citizens in Iceland in 2005: 3,221
Irish pubs in Reykjavík: 2
State liquor stores that sell Canadian wine: 2
Hagkaup branches that sell Durian fruit: 7
Annual budget of Icelandic Directorate of Immigration per person: USD 208
Annual budget of Danish Ministry for Refugees, Immigration and
Integration per person: USD 111
Annual budget of British Immigration and Nationality Directorate per person: USD 55
Items at the Reykjavík City Library: 1,335,283
Items available in Kurdish at the Reykjavík City Library: 11
Languages in which the Intercultural Center offers translation services: 58
Languages in which Glitnir’s online banking service is available: 4
Languages in which the Icelandic tax return form is available: 2
Percentage of students in Iceland’s compulsory schools (ages 6-16)
whose mother tongue is not Icelandic: 3.6%
Foreign students enrolled in the University of Iceland for 2005-06: 695
Mexican architects working in Reykjavík: 4
Non-Icelandic Franciscan nuns in Stykkishólmur: 8
Exotic dancers at Goldfinger in Kópavogur: 35-40
Percentage who are foreign: 80
International adoptions in 2005: 36
Adoptions from China in 2005: 32
Registered Muslims in Iceland: 321
Registered Pagans in Iceland: 1,000