Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both in Iceland
Iceland: Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both was 40.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland is 40.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland peaked at 41.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 1999.
Iceland ranks 21st of 129 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 19.9% | — |
| 2000 | 21.8% | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 22.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 23.7% | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 26.8% | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 26.1% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 28.9% | +10.7% |
| 2007 | 28.0% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 28.9% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 30.0% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 29.8% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 30.8% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 32.4% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 33.2% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 35.0% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 36.3% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 37.8% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 39.6% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 41.3% | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 38.3% | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 38.7% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 38.3% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 38.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 40.1% | +4.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 40.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 40.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 35.4%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.9% | 19.9% | 19.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 26.3% | 21.8% | 30.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 35.5% | 29.8% | 41.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.9% | 38.3% | 40.1% | 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 short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Iceland was 40.1% 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 41.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 1999.
- How does Iceland rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Iceland ranks 21st out of 129 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 20.7%. 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release