Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number) (pre-primary) in Iceland
Iceland: Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number) (pre-primary) was 12,828 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Iceland, 1972–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 12,828 for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.5% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Iceland peaked at 13,996 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2,560, in 1972.
That places Iceland 167th out of 214 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number) (pre-primary) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2,560 | — |
| 1973 | 3,035 | +18.6% |
| 1974 | 3,213 | +5.9% |
| 1975 | 3,419 | +6.4% |
| 1976 | 3,502 | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 3,656 | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 3,911 | +7.0% |
| 1979 | 4,379 | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 4,305 | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 4,041 | -6.1% |
| 1982 | 4,195 | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 4,235 | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 3,989 | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 4,208 | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 4,528 | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 4,581 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 4,426 | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 4,456 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 4,229 | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 11,792 | +178.8% |
| 1999 | 11,897 | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 11,837 | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 11,932 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 12,014 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 11,888 | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 12,083 | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 12,007 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 11,923 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 11,899 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 12,226 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 12,471 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 12,668 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 12,822 | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 13,242 | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 13,549 | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 13,996 | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 13,880 | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 13,472 | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 13,115 | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 13,048 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 12,744 | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 12,471 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 12,349 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 12,395 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 12,828 | +3.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 12,828 is below the median for high income countries, which is 96,852, 13% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 12,828 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 181,903, 7% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number) (pre-primary) in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +178.8% | 4,229 | 11,792 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,459 | 2,560 | 4,379 | 8 |
| 1980s | 4,296 | 3,989 | 4,581 | 10 |
| 1990s | 9,306 | 4,229 | 11,897 | 3 |
| 2000s | 12,028 | 11,837 | 12,471 | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,254 | 12,668 | 13,996 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,511 | 12,349 | 12,828 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More education data for Iceland
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0838 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Iceland?
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in Iceland was 12,828 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 13,996 in 2014.
- What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,560 in 1972.
- How does Iceland rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Iceland ranks 167th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. 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 Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release