Educational attainment rate, completed Master's … Master urban both in Iceland
Iceland: Educational attainment rate, completed Master's … Master urban both was 18.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in Iceland, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in Iceland is 18.9%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in Iceland peaked at 20.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.0%, in 2016.
That places Iceland 14th out of 67 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's … Master urban both in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 14.2% | — |
| 2015 | 14.0% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 14.0% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 18.7% | +33.8% |
| 2018 | 19.9% | +6.8% |
| 2019 | 19.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 20.1% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 17.7% | -11.9% |
| 2022 | 18.3% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 18.9% | +3.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 18.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.7%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 18.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.6%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.8% | 14.0% | 19.9% | 6 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 17.7% | 20.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.24 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.18 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,661 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,167 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,056 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 32,314 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in Iceland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in Iceland was 18.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 20.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.0% in 2016.
- How does Iceland rank for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent?
- Iceland ranks 14th out of 67 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release