Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland
Iceland: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 15.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
15.7%
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
54th
of 197 countries
All-time high
17.4%
in 2019
All-time low
11.0%
in 1995
Years of data
30
1990–2022
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland is 15.7%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 5.6% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland peaked at 17.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1995.
Iceland ranks 54th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.5% | — |
| 1993 | 11.8% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 11.0% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 12.6% | +15.0% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | +31.7% |
| 1999 | 14.2% | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 14.3% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 14.1% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 16.1% | +13.5% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | -28.5% |
| 2009 | 13.4% | +20.9% |
| 2010 | 14.2% | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 15.9% | +18.2% |
| 2013 | 16.2% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 17.2% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 16.0% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 17.1% | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 17.2% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 17.4% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 16.8% | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 16.6% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 15.7% | -5.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 15.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.3× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 15.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.9%, 1.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.7% | 11.0% | 16.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 11.1% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 13.4% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 15.7% | 16.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 51 El Salvador 15.9% compare
- 52 Hong Kong, China 15.7% compare
- 53 Afghanistan 15.7% compare
- 55 Saudi Arabia 15.6% compare
- 56 Uruguay 15.6% compare
- 57 Algeria 15.5% compare
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Iceland was 15.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1995.
- How does Iceland rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Iceland ranks 54th out of 197 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release