Government expenditure on education, total in Iceland
Iceland: Government expenditure on education, total was 15.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Iceland, 1990–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 15.7% for government expenditure on education, total 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, government expenditure on education, total in Iceland peaked at 17.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1995.
That places Iceland 54th out of 193 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | 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% |
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 government expenditure on education, total in Iceland?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Iceland was 15.7% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1995.
- How does Iceland rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Iceland ranks 54th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education, total 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 Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.