Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland

Iceland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 50.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
50.2%
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
5th
of 30 countries
All-time high
52.9%
in 2022
All-time low
32.9%
in 2014
Years of data
15
2007–2023

Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland, 2007–2023

02040602007201520232007: 40.7 %2008: 34.2 %2009: 38.4 %2010: 44.8 %2011: 42.9 %2013: 36.2 %2014: 32.9 %2015: 39.2 %2016: 45.3 %2017: 47.4 %2018: 49.8 %2019: 52 %2021: 47 %2022: 52.9 %2023: 50.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Iceland recorded 50.2% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2023.

That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and up 38.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland peaked at 52.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 32.9%, in 2014.

Iceland ranks 5th of 30 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 37.8% 34.2% 40.7% 3
2010s 43.4% 32.9% 52.0% 9
2020s 50.0% 47.0% 52.9% 3

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 2 Norway 54.9% compare
  2. 3 Luxembourg 53.9% compare
  3. 4 Armenia 53.0% compare
  4. 6 Sweden 50.1% compare
  5. 7 Cyprus 46.2% compare
  6. 8 United States of America 45.8% compare

See the full ranking of 30 places →

More education data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland?
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland was 50.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 52.9% in 2022.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 32.9% in 2014.
How does Iceland rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
Iceland ranks 5th out of 30 countries with data for 2023.
Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 38.8%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-22/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
30 places, 359 data points, 1994–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release