Iceland vs Taiwan: Share of the population with tertiary education

Iceland
51.4%
in 2020
Taiwan
51.9%
in 2020
Iceland rank
5th
Taiwan rank
4th

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Iceland
  • Taiwan
0204060187019452020

How they compare

Taiwan currently reports 51.9% against 51.4% in Iceland, a difference of 0.5%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Taiwan ahead.

Iceland ranks 5th and Taiwan ranks 4th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 5 and Taiwan in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland Taiwan Difference Ahead
1870s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1880s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1890s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1900s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% Iceland
1910s 0.3% 0.0% 0.3% Iceland
1920s 0.7% 0.3% 0.3% Iceland
1930s 1.2% 1.8% 0.5% Taiwan
1940s 2.0% 3.0% 0.9% Taiwan
1950s 3.1% 4.0% 0.9% Taiwan
1960s 4.6% 4.3% 0.2% Iceland
1970s 6.2% 5.3% 0.9% Iceland
1980s 10.3% 10.8% 0.5% Taiwan
1990s 15.2% 16.5% 1.3% Taiwan
2000s 22.4% 28.8% 6.5% Taiwan
2010s 37.1% 42.2% 5.1% Taiwan
2020s 51.4% 51.9% 0.5% Taiwan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Iceland or Taiwan?
Taiwan, at 51.9% against 51.4% in Iceland as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Iceland and Taiwan?
0.5%, with Taiwan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Taiwan?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Iceland and Taiwan rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Iceland ranks 5th and Taiwan ranks 4th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iceland vs Taiwan: Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/iceland/taiwan/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with tertiary education
Unit
%
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.