Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland

Iceland: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 79.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
79.1%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
32nd
of 141 countries
All-time high
79.1%
in 2023
All-time low
44.9%
in 1999
Years of data
24
1999–2023

Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland, 1999–2023

0204060801999201120231999: 44.9 %2000: 46.3 %2001: 45.6 %2002: 47.2 %2003: 50.9 %2004: 50.3 %2005: 54.8 %2007: 57.6 %2008: 58.3 %2009: 60.9 %2010: 61.8 %2011: 64.2 %2012: 65.6 %2013: 66.6 %2014: 68.5 %2015: 70.8 %2016: 74.3 %2017: 73.5 %2018: 75.4 %2019: 73.7 %2020: 73.8 %2021: 78.7 %2022: 78.8 %2023: 79.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland stood at 79.1%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland peaked at 79.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 44.9%, in 1999.

Iceland ranks 32nd of 141 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 44.9% 44.9% 44.9% 1
2000s 52.4% 45.6% 60.9% 9
2010s 69.4% 61.8% 75.4% 10
2020s 77.6% 73.8% 79.1% 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 29 Qatar 79.9% compare
  2. 30 Germany 79.9% compare
  3. 31 United Arab Emirates 79.2% compare
  4. 33 Austria 79.1% compare
  5. 34 Bulgaria 79.0% compare
  6. 35 Denmark 78.7% compare

See the full ranking of 141 places →

More education data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland?
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland was 79.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 79.1% in 2023.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 44.9% in 1999.
How does Iceland rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
Iceland ranks 32nd out of 141 countries with data for 2023.
Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-3/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
141 places, 2,292 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release