Iceland vs North America: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes

Iceland
19.18 years
in 2018
North America
16.35 years
in 2019
Iceland rank
7th
North America rank
5th

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes over time

  • Iceland
  • North America
05101520197019942019

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 19.18 years against 16.35 years in North America, a difference of 2.83 years.

That makes Iceland's figure about 1.2 times North America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 44 shared years of data; in 1971 it was North America ahead.

Iceland ranks 7th and North America ranks 5th of 183 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 2 and North America in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland North America Difference Ahead
1970s 12.34 years 13.22 years 0.8756 years North America
1980s 13.37 years 14.75 years 1.38 years North America
1990s 15.74 years 15.9 years 0.16 years North America
2000s 17.98 years 15.64 years 2.34 years Iceland
2010s 19.08 years 16.15 years 2.93 years Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes, Iceland or North America?
Iceland, at 19.18 years against 16.35 years in North America as of 2018.
What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes between Iceland and North America?
2.83 years, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and North America?
44 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2018.
How do Iceland and North America rank globally for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
Iceland ranks 7th and North America ranks 5th of 183 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iceland vs North America: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years/iceland/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,038 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.