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Living in Gardabaer

Gardabaer is a city in Iceland. For Gardabaer, the foreign population count was 1,583 at the start of 2026. Gardabaer had a population of 20,724 at the start of 2026.

Which Iceland-wide rules apply when you move to Gardabaer?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in IcelandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Gardabaer.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Gardabaer yet. Iceland has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Gardabaer?

The unemployment rate is about 4.9 % (2021 Census).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.92 % · px.hagstofa.is7
MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate4.92 %country median 5.4%31 Dec 2021px.hagstofa.is7Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Gardabaer. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information
Open the Iceland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Gardabaer. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport5 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights5Official
Nearest airportRKV3 Aug 2026OurAirports6Official
Distance to nearest airport5 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports6Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Gardabaer. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Directorate of Labour Icelandic courses for registered foreign jobseekers — State Language Course

Directorate of Labour

For foreign jobseekers registered for unemployment benefits.

IcelandicIn Personfree
Open official information

Recognised Icelandic teaching provider grant route — Other

Rannís and the Icelandic authorities

For recognised providers teaching Icelandic to foreigners.

Icelandicnot_published
Open official information
Open the full Iceland section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Gardabaer.

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Gardabaer?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency1

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Gardabaer average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-10°0°10°20°JFMAMJJASOND15°-2°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Gardabaer average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100879181595343506587808795JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Gardabaer average monthly sunshine, hours0551101652202362110165209190183165118924013JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Gardabaer annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5254.0PM2.5µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean4 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency1Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 3.2 · Feb 3.3 · Mar 4.2 · Apr 6.9 · May 10.1 · Jun 13 · Jul 14.9 · Aug 14.1 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 7.6 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 3.3 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI10Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -1.7 · Feb -1.9 · Mar -1.3 · Apr 1 · May 4 · Jun 7.2 · Jul 9.1 · Aug 8.6 · Sep 6.2 · Oct 2.7 · Nov -0.1 · Dec -1.6 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI11Official
Average temperature by monthJan 0.7 · Feb 0.5 · Mar 1.2 · Apr 3.7 · May 6.7 · Jun 9.8 · Jul 11.6 · Aug 11 · Sep 8.5 · Oct 4.9 · Nov 2.2 · Dec 0.8 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 87.1 · Feb 90.6 · Mar 80.7 · Apr 59 · May 52.6 · Jun 43.3 · Jul 49.9 · Aug 64.5 · Sep 87 · Oct 79.8 · Nov 86.5 · Dec 94.9 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI13Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 22.6 · Feb 61.6 · Mar 110.3 · Apr 165.1 · May 209 · Jun 189.5 · Jul 183.1 · Aug 164.8 · Sep 118.3 · Oct 91.6 · Nov 39.7 · Dec 12.6 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI14Official
Annual PM2.5 over time9 published observations, 2016–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Gardabaer by year, µg/m³2.83.95.16.2201620182020202220244.0µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 20.0% between 2016 and 2024, from 5.0 to 4.0.

Cities of a similar size in Iceland

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Iceland cities
Akureyri20,284 residentsKeflavík22,697 residentsReykjanesbaer22,697 residentsMosfellsbaer13,772 residentsHafnarfjörður32,398 residentsSelfoss12,671 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 70 km² in 2010.

How many people live in Gardabaer?

The published population was 20,724 people in January 2026. Source: Iceland official denominator source2

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Gardabaer residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport92.4%Foreign residents 7.6%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area70 km²1 Jan 2010IS official material for city_area_km23Official
Foreign residents1,583 people1 Jan 2026IS official material for foreign_population_total4Official
Population Female10,456 people7 Aug 2026Statistics Iceland2Official
Population Male10,265 people7 Aug 2026Statistics Iceland2Official
Population20,724 people1 Jan 2026Iceland official denominator source2Official

International community in Gardabaer

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Population resident at 1 January 2026; total sex; Statistics Iceland population table · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total20,724100.0%
Iceland17,94086.6%
Poland3281.6%
Denmark2561.2%
Sweden1870.9%
United States1820.9%
Lithuania1340.6%
United Kingdom1230.6%
Venezuela1080.5%
Ukraine1030.5%
Norway870.4%
Show 112 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Germany850.4%
Latvia770.4%
Philippines750.4%
Spain530.3%
Romania510.2%
Thailand450.2%
China390.2%
Portugal340.2%
Syria320.2%
Luxembourg270.1%
Netherlands270.1%
Czechia260.1%
Russia220.1%
Faroe Islands210.1%
India210.1%
Foreign country not specified210.1%
Croatia200.1%
Italy200.1%
Austria180.1%
Canada180.1%
Hungary180.1%
Serbia180.1%
Iraq170.1%
Morocco170.1%
Somalia160.1%
Albania150.1%
France150.1%
Iran150.1%
Moldova150.1%
Colombia140.1%
Sri Lanka140.1%
Finland130.1%
Indonesia130.1%
Palestine130.1%
Bulgaria120.1%
Brazil120.1%
Kenya120.1%
Nigeria120.1%
Peru120.1%
Viet Nam120.1%
Australia110.1%
Switzerland110.1%
Korea, South-110.1%
Mexico100.0%
Argentina90.0%
Malaysia90.0%
Turkey90.0%
Belgium80.0%
South Africa80.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina70.0%
Hong Kong70.0%
Estonia60.0%
Egypt60.0%
Libya60.0%
Slovakia60.0%
Former Soviet Union60.0%
Uganda60.0%
Kosovo60.0%
United Arab Emirates50.0%
Honduras50.0%
Nepal50.0%
Chile40.0%
Cuba40.0%
Ecuador40.0%
Ghana40.0%
Japan40.0%
Lebanon40.0%
Namibia40.0%
Countries in former Yugoslavia, unspecified40.0%
Afghanistan30.0%
Georgia30.0%
Greece30.0%
Ireland30.0%
Jordan30.0%
North Macedonia30.0%
El Salvador30.0%
Congo, Republic of20.0%
Dominican Republic20.0%
Ethiopia20.0%
Greenland20.0%
Israel20.0%
Kazakhstan20.0%
Nicaragua20.0%
New Zealand20.0%
Pakistan20.0%
Rwanda20.0%
Saudi Arabia20.0%
Sierra Leone20.0%
Taiwan20.0%
Bangladesh10.0%
Bolivia10.0%
Belarus10.0%
Côte d'Ivoire10.0%
Cabo Verde10.0%
Gambia10.0%
Guinea10.0%
Guyana10.0%
Haiti10.0%
Cambodia10.0%
Montenegro10.0%
Mauritius10.0%
Mozambique10.0%
Oman10.0%
Panama10.0%
Singapore10.0%
South Sudan10.0%
Togo10.0%
Tajikistan10.0%
Tonga10.0%
Tanzania10.0%
Uzbekistan10.0%
Yemen10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8

Citizenship

Population resident at 1 January 2026; total sex; Statistics Iceland population table · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total20,724100.0%
Iceland19,14192.4%
Poland3091.5%
Lithuania1640.8%
Venezuela1110.5%
Ukraine970.5%
Latvia810.4%
Romania660.3%
Denmark490.2%
United Kingdom460.2%
Portugal390.2%
Show 83 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Spain370.2%
Philippines360.2%
Syria310.1%
United States300.1%
Germany280.1%
Italy270.1%
Croatia250.1%
Czechia210.1%
Somalia190.1%
Hungary170.1%
Sweden170.1%
China150.1%
Palestine150.1%
Iraq140.1%
Thailand140.1%
Albania130.1%
Nigeria130.1%
France120.1%
Norway120.1%
India90.0%
Iran90.0%
Bulgaria80.0%
Finland80.0%
Austria70.0%
Kenya70.0%
Malaysia70.0%
Netherlands70.0%
Peru70.0%
Turkey70.0%
Australia60.0%
Belgium60.0%
Brazil60.0%
Egypt60.0%
Libya60.0%
Russia60.0%
Canada50.0%
Estonia50.0%
Honduras50.0%
Japan50.0%
Korea, South-50.0%
Colombia40.0%
Lebanon40.0%
Mexico40.0%
Slovakia40.0%
Kosovo40.0%
South Africa40.0%
Afghanistan30.0%
Argentina30.0%
Greece30.0%
Ireland30.0%
Morocco30.0%
Namibia30.0%
Uganda30.0%
Stateless30.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina20.0%
Congo, Republic of20.0%
Switzerland20.0%
Chile20.0%
Georgia20.0%
Indonesia20.0%
Sri Lanka20.0%
Pakistan20.0%
Serbia20.0%
Sierra Leone20.0%
Viet Nam20.0%
Bangladesh10.0%
Cuba10.0%
Cabo Verde10.0%
Dominican Republic10.0%
Ghana10.0%
Gambia10.0%
Cambodia10.0%
North Macedonia10.0%
Mauritius10.0%
Nicaragua10.0%
Nepal10.0%
Oman10.0%
Singapore10.0%
South Sudan10.0%
El Salvador10.0%
Uruguay10.0%
Countries in former Yugoslavia, unspecified10.0%
Yemen10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source9

Is Gardabaer a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–67%
Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–69%
Student57%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 45–69%
Family54%strong on family, weak on safety · range 42–66%
Retirement62%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 50–74%
Foreign residents1,583 people1 Jan 2026Official source · IS official material for foreign_population_total
Population20,724 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Iceland official denominator source
Unemployment rate4.92 %31 Dec 2021Official source · px.hagstofa.is
PM2.5 — annual mean4 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · European Environment Agency
City area70 km²1 Jan 2010Official source · IS official material for city_area_km2
Destinations from nearest airport5 count3 Aug 2026Official source · OpenFlights
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-26

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gardabaer when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Gardabaer?

The published population was 20,724 people in January 2026. Source: Iceland official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Gardabaer?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency.

What is the unemployment rate in Gardabaer?

The unemployment rate is about 4.9 % (2021 Census). Source: px.hagstofa.is.

How many foreign residents live in Gardabaer?

1,583 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: IS official material for foreign_population_total.

Is Gardabaer a good place to live?

Gardabaer may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Total live in Gardabaer?

The official country of birth distribution records 20,724 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Gardabaer, Iceland: jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/gardabaer/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gardabaer-iceland-jobs-air-quality_d044cd156ec0,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gardabaer, Iceland: jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/gardabaer/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Gardabaer, Iceland: jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/is/gardabaer/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Iceland official denominator source px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-07-14
  3. IS official material for city_area_km2 hagstofas3bucket.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-07-18
  4. IS official material for foreign_population_total px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-07-18
  5. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  6. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  7. px.hagstofa.is px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-26
  8. Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands) px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-30
  9. Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands) px.hagstofa.is · checked 2026-08-30
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Show 4 more sources
  1. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  2. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  3. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  4. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03

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