Iceland is ranked No.1 peaceful country in the world in the recently released 2018 Global Peace Index. The country suffered banking crisis in 2008 during the financial crisis. Through the EEA, Iceland participates in the single market and contributes financially towards social and economic cohesion in Europe.
Iceland has a population of approximately 350,000 and immigrants are 10% of the population, mostly from Poland, Philippines and Lithuania. As of Jan 2017, there are estimated 36,000 immigrants in Iceland
In 2016, 703 persons were granted Icelandic citizenship, compared with 801 in 2015.
According to the latest citizenship statistics, Polish nationals lead the table in acquiring icelandic citizenship, followed by Filipinos and Thai nationals.
Foreign citizens gaining Icelandic citizenship by former citizenship, 2015-2016
| 2015 | 2016 | |
| Total | Total | |
| Poland | 265 | 224 |
| Philippines | 74 | 55 |
| Thailand | 42 | 48 |
| Denmark | 11 | 35 |
| Viet Nam | 33 | 26 |
| Stateless | 23 | 26 |
| Latvia | 21 | 22 |
| Sweden | 11 | 17 |
| Lithuania | 10 | 16 |
| Russia | 25 | 14 |
| Serbia | 15 | 13 |
| China | 8 | 13 |
| Ukraine | 17 | 12 |
| United States | 18 | 11 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 10 |
| Morocco | 7 | 9 |
| Albania | 2 | 9 |
| Syria | 3 | 8 |
| Portugal | 4 | 7 |
| Brazil | 14 | 6 |
| Peru | 1 | 6 |
| Romania | 24 | 5 |
| Kosovo | 13 | 5 |
| Nepal | 10 | 5 |
| Sri Lanka | 11 | 4 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | 4 |
The full table can be downloaded as excel sheet
Iceland allows dual citizenship and permanent residency can be obtained after four years of living, and then naturalize to become citizen of Iceland after further five years. Iceland does not have any citizenship by investment program but the the country encourages investment in Iceland and foreigners can obtain residence permits through investment. Please see https://www.invest.is/
In 2011, Guardian reported ten mega rich investors from US and Canada ready to invest $15 billion in return for Icelandic citizenship, which sent shockwaves in Iceland. Iceland
A foreign citizen who has been domiciled in Iceland for a certain period of time and fulfills the requirements of the Icelandic Nationality Act (No. 100/1952) can submit an application for Icelandic citizenship. There are two conditions for the granting of Icelandic citizenship, residence requirements based on Article 8 and special requirements according to Article 9 of the Icelandic Nationality Act.
