Research Database
Last update on 01 sep., 2025
3 Children
The children table contains core information at the individual level, for children born in Iceland from 1990, obtained from the birth registry and the National Registry. For each individual, it includes 8 variables. Each record represents an individual and can be linked to other tables within the same project using project‑specific pseudoidentifiers. The dataset is subject to ongoing review, validation, and updates to ensure accuracy, consistency, and confidentiality. This data set informs on family relationships including a child’s parents, siblings, adoptions, and multiple births.
Number of records in table: 149,907
Number of unique IDs included: 149,907
3.1 Auðkenni barna
Metadata
| Variable ID | CHILD_id |
| Heiti IS | Auðkenni barna |
| Name (English) | Child identity |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Auðkenni barns. Gögn eru fengin úr fæðingaskrá og þjóðskrá fyrir börn fædd á Íslandi frá og með 1990. Upplýsingum um tengingar barns og foreldra sem fædd eru fyrir 1990 hefur ekki verið safnað með kerfisbundnum hætti. Séu þær til byggja þær á upplýsingum sem koma fram í gagnasöfnun með annan tilgang (til dæmis við manntal, eða í heimilismiðuðum úrtaksrannsóknum). |
| Description |
Child’s identification. Data is obtained from the birth registry and the National Registry for children born in Iceland from 1990 onward. Information on the connections between children and parents for those born before 1990 has not been systematically collected. If available, such information is based on data gathered for other purposes (e.g., censuses or household-based sample surveys). |
| Kóði - Code (IS) | |
| Code |
Summary
| Number of unique IDs | Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|---|
| 149,907 | 149,907 | 0 |
3.2 Kyn
Metadata
| Variable ID | CHILD_SEX |
| Heiti IS | Kyn |
| Name (English) | Sex |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Kyn eins og það er skráð í fæðingarskrá eða í ættleiðingaskýrslu ef um ættleitt barn er að ræða. |
| Description | Gender as recorded in the birth registry or in the adoption report if the child is adopted. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) |
1 = karlmaður 2 = kona |
| Code |
1 = Male 2 = Female |
Summary
| Total codes | Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 149,907 | 31 |
| CHILD_SEX | Number of records |
|---|---|
| 1 | 76,880 |
| 2 | 72,996 |
| Note: | |
| Records with missing values are excluded in this table. |
3.3 Fæðingardagur
Metadata
| Variable ID | BIRTH_DATE |
| Heiti IS | Fæðingardagur |
| Name (English) | Birth date |
| Data type | smalldatetime |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Fæðingardagur barns. Byggir á upplýsingum úr fæðingaskrá |
| Description | Child’s date of birth. Based on information from the birth registry. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) | |
| Code |
Summary
| Earliest birth date | Latest birth date | Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-04-20 | 2023-12-31 | 149,907 | 0 |
3.4 Fæðingarár
Metadata
| Variable ID | CHILD_BIRTH_YEAR |
| Heiti IS | Fæðingarár |
| Name (English) | Birth year |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Fæðingarár barns. Byggir á upplýsingum úr fæðingaskrá |
| Description | Child’s year of birth. Based on information from the birth registry. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) | |
| Code |
Summary
| Min birth year | Max birth year | Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2023 | 149,907 | 0 |
3.5 Einburi eða fjölburi
Metadata
| Variable ID | MULT_BIRTH |
| Heiti IS | Einburi eða fjölburi |
| Name (English) | Single or multiple birth |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Segir til um hvort barn sé einburi eða fjölburi |
| Description | Indicates whether a child is a single child or part of a multiple birth. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) |
1=einburi 2=tvíburi 3=þríburi 4=fjórburi 9=ætleitt |
| Code |
1 = Single child 2 = Twin 3 = Triplet 4 = Quadruplet 9 = Adopted |
Summary
| Total codes | Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 149,907 | 0 |
| MULT_BIRTH | Number of records |
|---|---|
| 1 | 144,625 |
| 2 | 4,641 |
| 3 | 180 |
| 9 | 461 |
3.6 Ættleiðing
Metadata
| Variable ID | ADOPT |
| Heiti IS | Ættleiðing |
| Name (English) | Adoption |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Segir til um hvort barn hefur verið ættleitt. Með stjúpættleiðingu er átt við ættleiðingu á barni (eða kjörbarni) maka umsækjanda. Með frumættleiðingu er aftur á móti átt við ættleiðingu á barni sem ekki er barn (eða kjörbarn) maka umsækjanda. Sbr. lög um ættleiðingar nr. 130 frá 31. desember 1999. http://www.althingi.is/ |
| Description |
Indicates whether a child has been adopted. Step-adoption refers to the adoption of a child (or adopted child) of the applicant’s spouse. Full adoption refers to the adoption of a child who is not the child (or adopted child) of the applicant’s spouse. This classification follows the Adoption Act No. 130 of December 31, 1999. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) |
0=Ekki ættleitt 1=Stjúpættleiðing 2=Frumættleiðing |
| Code |
0 = Not adopted 1 = Stepparent adoption 2 = Biological adoption |
Summary
| Total codes | Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 149,907 | 0 |
| ADOPT | Number of records |
|---|---|
| 0 | 149,446 |
| 1 | 461 |
3.7 Auðkenni móður
Metadata
| Variable ID | MOTHER_ID |
| Heiti IS | Auðkenni móður |
| Name (English) | Mother’s identity |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Hjá ættleiddum börnum er gefið upp auðkenni ættleiðingarmóður |
| Description | For adopted children, the identification of the adoptive mother is provided. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) | |
| Code |
Summary
| Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|
| 149,907 | 9 |
3.8 Auðkenni föður
Metadata
| Variable ID | FATHER_ID |
| Heiti IS | Auðkenni föður |
| Name (English) | Father’s identity |
| Data type | int |
| Grunnskrá - Primary Register | Fæðingarskrá |
| Tegund töflu - Type of table | Einstaklingar |
| Tíðni - Frequency | Árleg |
| Tímabil frá - Time period from | 1990 |
| Lýsing - Description (IS) | Hjá ættleiddum börnum er gefið upp auðkenni ættleiðingarföður |
| Description | For adopted children, the identification of the adoptive father is provided. |
| Kóði - Code (IS) | |
| Code |
Summary
| Total records | Records with Missing values |
|---|---|
| 149,907 | 1054 |